


Crumbling Moon

by Aniyu_Shadowraven



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, I am not changing Akira's name to Ren, I'm just including it for proper tagging, Kawakami mentioned, M/M, Madarame mentioned, Multi, Ohya mentioned, Personas more involved, Sojiro mentioned, Takemi mentioned, game mechanics are the bane of my existence in writing, now including palace layout maps, out of all the Confidants Mishima's had the most potential for this scenario, rating increased because I'm paranoid, spoilers for Moon Confidant Rank 6-7, spoilers through Kaneshiro's Palace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2018-11-20 19:54:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11342169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aniyu_Shadowraven/pseuds/Aniyu_Shadowraven
Summary: Morgana is knowledgeable, that much is true, but the fact is he doesn’t know everything about the Metaverse, Palaces, and how distorted desires take shape. That lack of knowledge leads the Phantom Thieves into a newly birthed palace barely a day after they had stolen Kaneshiro’s Treasure, but in a way the stakes are much higher. After all, their leader’s life and maybe even his very existence is on the line this time.akaMishima’s rank 7 could have taken a much darker route, set on 29 June-July 5th while the group is waiting on Kaneshiro’s confirmed change of heart.





	1. Waning Phase: Full

**Author's Note:**

> -Thoughts are italicized  
> -Spoilers through Kaneshiro's Palace  
> -Spoilers for Moon Confidant Rank 6-7  
> -Pre-Relationship Yusuke/Akira  
> -the Personas totally ship it (At least Arséne and Goemon do)  
> -Arséne present because he is my favorite Persona  
> -sort of a Mishima character study?? Just not from his perspective  
> -Dialogue taken/adjusted directly from the game

The familiar buzzing of his phone drew Akira out of his head just as he slipped into Leblanc for the evening. It wasn’t unusual; the group had just taken down Kaneshiro’s Palace yesterday, and it seemed to be a habit for everyone to group text most of the nights they spent waiting on the change of heart to occur. And as they had once again gained a new friend and ally in Makoto Niijima, the leader of the Phantom Thieves was pretty sure it would be her starting off the conversation tonight. Faintly smiling at the thought of his friends, Akira slightly adjusted his stance as easily as breathing as he felt Morgana take up a position to read over his shoulder and pulled out his smartphone. Absently noting the date as June 29th –and Akira was relieved to have Makoto’s assistance in planning, which allowed them to conquer the palace with plenty of time to spare this time around–, Akira switched to his IM menu.

But the teen paused as he realized his most recent text was from Mishima, not his fellow thieves. Apprehension and faint disapproval churned in his mind as he read through the texts, reminded of his last conversation with his classmate. _He’s still fixated on that actor…and on building fame. Sometimes I swear he and Ryuji must be twins with how similarly they’re reacting to the Phantom Thieves’ growing popularity… But, Ryuji at least has all of us to temper him, while I really have no choice but to handle Mishima alone to protect the others’ identities…._

The faintest sensation wings lightly enclosing over his shoulders and curved-clawed fingers brushing through his hair made some of Akira’s tension fade, accepting the calming gestures from the intangible Arséne. _No, not alone, that’s true. However, Mishima can’t perceive Arséne, nor can he understand Morgana._ Said cat was grumbling about how Mishima might need a good slap to come to his senses. _I really don’t want to have to make him have a change of heart. He isn’t a bad guy…just a victim that’s having trouble acknowledging his own worth._

Normally that thought would be enough to reignite his determination to help, to try and make things better for his friend. But this time, Akira couldn’t help but feel reluctant. With everyone else, he knew or could figure out how to help them without compromising his beliefs and true personality. But Mishima was different, start to finish. Unlike his fellow thieves, Mishima had been one of the more badly abused of Kamoshida’s victims, to the point where it honestly wouldn’t have been surprising if _he_ had been the one to jump instead of Shiho. And, during that tenure as a victim, Mishima had ended up making school life miserable for Akira those first weeks by spreading his record everywhere. Akira had forgiven him for it of course, as Kamoshida had strong-armed him into doing it, but the fact that Mishima had wronged him seemed to be the only thing _Mishima_ could focus on.

It colored their interactions to the point where Akira was forcing himself to be encouraging and supportive even when he honestly believed Mishima needed to step back and just chill.

“Well, are you going to go talk to Mishima?”

Morgana’s question brought Akira’s focus from his thoughts back to his phone. As he reread through the texts one more time, he received a mental nudge from one of the other Personas he had on hand, Sui-Ki, who was signaling that his bond with the Moon Tarot was ready to grow again. However, the nudge also came with a warning: _Be cautious._ It made Akira concerned that one of his companion Personas seemed ill-at ease at strengthening a bond; usually they would have a playful or amused air when signaling him to spend time with someone. The feel of wings encircling him just a little more was the deciding factor for him: Arséne was on edge, which meant the situation would possibly escalate into something dangerous.

“Yeah, we’ll go, but I want the others on standby first,” Akira murmured so Morgana had an idea of his thoughts, sending a quick text to Mishima before pulling up the Phantoms’ group chat. He also began trekking upstairs so he could change out of his uniform first.

Morgana was a little startled by the response, and couldn’t help but ask about it. “Really? Is something wrong? I mean, I know the guy’s been a little _too_ enthusiastic lately, but I don’t think he actually means any harm.”

“What does Zorro tell you?” Akira asked in lieu of an explanation, trusting that it couldn’t just be Arséne and Sui-Ki that were feeling cautious.

Confused, Morgana did shift his awareness to Zorro’s steady presence in his heart and found his Persona to be agreeing with Akira. _'Something is wrong, be ready.'_ “He’s…a little on edge to be honest.”

“So is Arséne,” Akira replied simply, watching as Yusuke was first to reply.

 **Yusuke:** I am still in Shibuya’s walkway, so I can go where ever you need, Akira. But, what is it that has you so concerned?

 **Ryuji:** Yeah, man. Mishima’s a little over the top, but I don’t think he’s dangerous.

 **Makoto:** But he runs the website and he’s pretty sure at least of Akira’s identity and probably yours, Ryuji. That’s not something to take lightly.

 **Ann:** Guys, let Akira tell us what’s wrong first.

The messy-haired teen couldn’t help but smile, comforted by the expected and familiar reactions. Even Makoto’s reaction was expected, though he was still getting to know her.

 **Akira:** Remember that he wanted us to consider going after that actor? I didn’t say it before, but I feel that Mishima might be becoming obsessed with being popular through us.

 **Akira:** Some of what he said in that conversation and his recent texts concern me.

 **Ann:** It must be really worrying you. I think that’s the longest text you’ve ever sent out.

 **Ryuji:** No joke there. Gettin’ him to say more than a sentence is huge.

 **Makoto:** Focus, Ryuji. This is serious.

 **Yusuke:** I agree with Akira and Makoto.

 **Yusuke:** I understand that this Mishima is a good source of information, but if he’s developing an obsession than he could become a serious problem.

 **Yusuke:** Should we wait at the hideout for now?

Akira replied an affirmative to that, finished changing and grabbing his brown casual bag for Morgana to ride in.

…-…-…-…-…

Akira found Mishima out in Shinjuku, standing around the corner from the pretty but lonely-looking fortune teller he’d glimpsed when he was here looking for Ohya before. Pausing just out of his classmate’s line of sight, Akira observed the teen for a few moments. Compared to when he first met Mishima, the other male looked much healthier. However, the posture was both tired and tense, and Akira could almost swear he saw Mishima shaking with agitation whenever the teen wasn’t looking at his phone. And when he _did_ glance at his phone, his expression turned into this oddly gleeful, nearly hungry expression that worried Akira for the feel of desperation it gave off.

Not for the first time, Akira wondered if he should be regretting encouraging the forum enthusiast.

Taking a breath, Akira strolled over to Mishima, schooling his expression into faint curiosity so as not to make Mishima suspicious about his thoughts. “Mishima.”

The way Mishima’s expression lit up in delight nearly made Akira cringe. It was different from Yusuke’s sincereity or Ryuji’s zeal. The desperation that seemed more subtle at a distance was poignant up close, and made Akira feel like an object on display. Only the sensation of feathers brushing his shoulders and Morgana tucking his head close to his jaw to observe made Akira comfortable enough to give a neutral smile in return.

“Hey there, Kurusu-san! So, I’ve been researching that actor, and I came across some substantial new info. Are you free to hear about it?”

Akira gave a short nod. “I have time. Where to?”

“Thanks! Let’s head to the diner then. I think I’m done scouting Shinjuku for tonight.”

That made Akira confused, and he decided to ask about it as they walked toward the station. “Scouting?”

Mishima looked oddly proud at the question. “Yep! I scout out the areas that the requests mention, just in case a promising one might be bogus. Plus, you can hear about possible targets that aren’t posted when you hang out and people watch. Pretty dedicated, huh?”

“…As long as you’re careful…” If he wasn’t worried before, Akira was definitely concerned now, if only for Mishima’s safety. Mishima wasn’t exactly known for being able to defend himself, and Shinjuku was not a place to be casually hanging around people watching if you couldn’t protect yourself.

Mishima actually chuckled at that. “I’m not worried. I don’t stand out enough for people to notice me at a casual glance. Not yet anyway.” Akira just knew he wasn’t imagining the notes of ambition and irritation in those words.

After that they didn’t talk much on the way to the diner, each passing the time on their phones. Akira spent the ride texting the others to let them know where he and Mishima would be.

 **Makoto:** I know you can handle yourself. Although, I’d feel better if one of us was at the diner with you just in case.

 **Ryuji:** Ooh, I’ll go!

 **Ann:** You’d just get distracted by the food. Plus, Mishima would notice you in a heartbeat.

 **Ryuji:** Shaddup! He’d recognize you and Miss Prez too!

 **Yusuke:** Shall I go then?

It bemused Akira to see that Makoto honestly cared about his safety already, and Ann and Ryuji’s light bickering helped relax him back into the easy confidence he possessed as Joker. Yusuke’s quick offer to volunteer warmed his heart, reminding him that he really wanted to spend some down time with the artist the next chance he got. However, he was concerned Mishima would feel cornered if he happened to recognize any of the others, so the leader worked to settle his team.

 **Akira:** I’ll be fine. I’ll meet you all at the hideout as soon as I’m done talking to him.

 **Makoto:** I guess if you’re sure…

 **Akira:** I am. I’ll see you all soon.

“It’s nice to see Makoto cares already,” Morgana murmured from Akira’s shoulder. “But she should have a little more faith. _I’m_ here with you, after all!”

That got a nearly silent chuckled out of Akira, and he gave the not-cat a light pet behind his ears in affection. For all of Morgana’s insistence that he wasn’t a cat, he tended to get real pissy if he didn’t get a gentle pet once in a while. The subsequent purr ensured that Akira had met his friend’s quota for the next few days.

…-…-…-…-…

The diner was fairly empty when they arrived, but Akira’s usual waitress, Hitomi, was still present and perfectly happy to get her favorite customer taken care of before she left for the night. Once they were settled with drinks, along with a small saucer of milk for Morgana –Hitomi-san had long assumed he was a therapy cat and was perfectly happy to provide a refreshment for him–, Akira paid Hitomi so she could finish her shift and the boys wouldn’t be disturbed for a while.

“Wow, you really take that cat of yours everywhere,” Mishima mused as he watched Morgana quickly devour his treat.

Akira shrugged; he wasn’t about to apologize or try to come up with a reason to placate Mishima about Morgana’s presence. He did, however, say, “Morgana gets offended if he’s referred to as an object, Mishima.”

Morgana backed him up by glaring at Mishima, who gave a nervous laugh and a partial apology bow. “S-Sorry, haha.”

After a few minutes of silence, in which Mishima seemed to regain his nerve, the expected conversation got started. “So, you know that actor I suggested as your next target? Apparently he’s marrying the idol from those rumors. He probably just couldn’t live with himself after what he did to her…” While Akira noted the irritation and disappointment in Mishima’s tone, he felt relief. Hopefully this meant Mishima would calm down.

Unfortunately, the frustration in Mishima’s tone actually kicked up a notch. “His reputation did a total 180 after he announced the marriage though. People used to hate him, but now all everyone wants to talk about is how sweet and manly he is.”

Akira wasn’t really sure what to say considering this was a good thing as far as he was concerned, so he decided silence was the best policy. He did see Morgana eyeing Mishima warily though, and couldn’t help but tense because of it; the mildly sheepish tone Mishima took next didn’t help his tension.

“At any rate, we can’t oppose the will of the public. Good thing we decided not to change his heart. Support for the Phantom Thieves would’ve really dropped if we had,” Mishima stated, hand behind his neck in a typical embarrassed gesture. _Which is why I ignored your request entirely_ , Akira thought to himself tiredly, reaching for a sip of coffee.

“…I need to make sure our next target is one we can win against.”

Akira paused mid-sip, detecting something in Mishima’s voice that he was having trouble defining, but it was setting off alarm bells in his head. He slowly set down his coffee as he contemplated a response. While his normal instinct was to be encouraging, Akira wasn’t sure that was the best idea this time around. However, _provoking_ Mishima wasn’t exactly a better idea, yet. So, he tried a middle ground between the two.

“You’re certainly trying to be reliable…”

Mishima seemed a little confused by the reply, but clearly decided to take it as a compliment. “I guess. I mean, this _is_ my job. I’m your producer, remember?” Excitement then stole over the teen’s face. “Oh, by the way, I came up with a new plan of attack.”

 _I’m not going to like the sound of this_ , Akira could tell, and not just because he felt Arséne’s presence sharpen.

“If we really wanna make you guys famous, we need to do more than just answer promising requests. Right now there are _tons_ of idiots out there doubting you, and trying to influence others to do the same.” There was no mistaking the anger in Mishima’s tone, and then it dipped down into that emotion Akira couldn’t quite identify before but recognized with the next words: _menace_. “So…we’re gonna purge them.”

Akira’s eyes narrowed at that, and he nearly bit out his response but managed to restrain himself. “That’s _twisted_ , Mishima.”

Mishima startled in his seat and clearly thought back over what he said before trying to reassure him. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not actually planning on hurting anyone.” Akira allowed his expression to return to neutrality at that, which seemed to buoy Mishima. “The truth is, I looked up some of these idiots who were criticizing you and sent them warning messages. You know, something like, ‘ _If you don’t change your wicked ways, you’ll be our next target’_.”

Eyes widening ever so slightly, Akira couldn’t help but stare incredulously at his classmate. _Does he seriously not understand how much harm that can do? What kind of consequences that can cause?_ He heard Morgana’s sharp intake of breath and knew he wasn’t the only one who understood the danger Mishima had put them in.

Mishima clearly saw Akira’s disbelief, but his reply was proud, practically smug. “I’ll have you know, it’s been working wonders. They totally stopped dissing the P-Thieves! There are still some people who say they don’t believe, but deep down they’re just afraid of you guys.” Akira’s insides went cold as Mishima followed this up with a _laugh_. “Hahahaha! Isn’t this great?!”

_No, it’s really not._

“Plus now that all those haters are gone, people are putting a bunch more info on the forum. Post after post after post, it’s all _‘please’_ and _‘help me’_ …” The cold comfort sat like a weight in Akira’s gut, and he wasn’t sure he recognized the teen in front of him anymore. He felt sick with the next few words. “This is so much _fun_.”

“This isn’t like you…” The words were out before Akira could really think about them, and when he did think about them, he wasn’t sure if they were true or not. He had only ever known Mishima in two ways: Kamoshida’s victim and a Phanboy. The former was someone to save while the latter was a source of information he needed to maintain some distance from lest he put the other Phantom Thieves’ identities at risk. How could Akira say whether he knew Mishima’s true nature or not?

As if agreeing with Akira’s line of thought, Mishima looked faintly disappointed and offended. “All I did is find my own way to change people’s hearts. I’m above the simple stuff like producing and advertising now. I can change the world.” A little smile creeped over Mishima’s face. “I have the strength to do that now…”

Akira was about to disagree that what Mishima was doing and wanted to do wasn’t strength, but was interrupted as Mishima recognized someone approaching their table. It was the thuggish Akiyama again, and Akira mentally cursed his timing, knowing this would just worsen Mishima’s mood and thought process. He settled a cold glare on the brunet, hoping it would get him to back off quickly.

No such luck. Akira watched as Mishima slowly crumbled at Akiyama’s half-hearted taunting, folding in on himself as he tried to be polite to the bully. There was some hope as Mishima picked up on the fact the taunts were lackluster, even questioning the bully in concern. That hope turned to dust the second Akiyama again called Mishima a zero, and the only blessing was that Akiyama left straight after the comment.

Looking at Mishima’s downtrodden expression, Akira put aside his apprehension with his classmate’s actions and tried to think of something comforting. The bitterness in Mishima’s tone gave him pause, however.

“Zero… He acts like I’m a total nothing, but he still takes time to try and mess with me…” There was a long moment of quiet before determination tinged with something darker settled on his face. “I’ve changed though. I’m way better than a loser like him. I even heard he’s been hanging out with some shady people…”

The disgust that came next made Akira’s heart sink, and he just knew what would come after that. “They’re all scum. I wish we could change their hearts, for the good of our society…” Just as Akira expected, dark glee flitted across Mishima’s expression. “Wait, that’s it…! We can change _his_ heart instead of that actor’s! All right, it’s decided! Your next target is gonna be Akiyama-kun! Let’s see, where’s his info…”

The continued use of a normally affectionate or respectful honorific just made Akira stomach twist, even more so as he realized Mishima clearly had his info readily available. The entire context of this situation was wrong. Sure, Akiyama clearly needed some kind of talking to and _maybe_ a Mementos trip, but he didn’t deserve to be used by Mishima as an outlet for his need to be famous and acknowledged. As Akira opened his mouth to speak, he realized Mishima’s expression had started to fall into something neutral and he was glancing up at Akira in a way that seemed searching.

“Um, speaking of targets…… Are you guys gonna come after me someday too…?”

Considering the situation, Akira knew he had two possible responses to that. He could be blunt, or he could try to coax Mishima into actually thinking about his actions and desires. After considering it, he knew he wanted to hold on to some hope Mishima would find the strength to face himself, so Akira made his decision.

“Are you feeling guilty?”

The shock that stole over Mishima’s face was not pleasant to see. “You’re really considering it…?” The nervous amusement that came next was worse. “H-Hahaha… Good joke, Kurusu…”

As Akira silently observed him without answering it became clear this conversation was at an end, with Mishima pocketing his phone and starting to leave the booth. “Anyway, I’m heading home. I’ll send you Akiyama-kun’s info later…”

Akira gave a silent tip of his head in acknowledgement, but stayed seated so he could observe Mishima as he left. His classmate was clearly tense, head hung low, but as Mishima reached the diner exit he glanced at his phone and seemed to relax more, leaving with a shake of his head which was now held high in determination.

It would have been nice to see if not for the entire conversation they’d just had.

“We need to discuss this with the others immediately. Mishima’s being consumed by his own agenda and finding joy not in helping others, but in seeing their cries for help and determining which are worthy enough to him,” Morgana spoke the thoughts on both their minds, and all Akira could do was nod and send a text to the others letting them know he was heading their way.

…-…-…-…-…

The way everyone’s expressions melted from curiosity into worry as Akira approached made him wonder just what kind of expression he was giving off, considering he was trying for quiet concern. He almost looked for a mirror when, after he reached his customary position against the handrail, Yusuke and Ryuji both settled to either side of him protectively while the girls kept furtively glancing around for threats.

“I’m gonna guess Mishima’s a problem now?” Ryuji asked in forcefully casual tone that just made Akira grimace.

Morgana took that moment to prop himself up on Akira’s shoulder and answer for the teen. “Problem might be a little bit of an understatement. Here’s how the conversation went.”

Akira let Morgana do most of the reiteration, interjecting only occasionally to provide his observations if he felt they added to or were different from Morgana’s. During the recount, Akira found Yusuke lightly brushing a hand against his side with a look that clearly asked if he was okay. Akira could only give a faint half-smile and tapped his right shoe against Yusuke’s left in reassurance. He wasn’t okay with the situation, but he would cope, and Yusuke understood that easily from his signal.

Once Morgana finished and everyone had a moment to think, it was Ann that spoke up first. “So, he just wants to get revenge on a guy who makes fun of him…” The hesitance in her voice was pretty obvious. “Didn’t he give us some other weird request too? Something about that handsome actor?… Is Mishima-kun trying to take advantage of us…?”

Yusuke spoke up next, but his voice was derisive. “Apparently he has also threatened anyone who dares speak ill of the Phantom Thieves on his forum. Perhaps we should enact a change of heart on Mishima, not this Akiyama fellow.” As much as Akira was grateful someone else had the same thoughts he did, he couldn’t help but fight down a wince at hearing those thoughts spoken. He didn’t _want_ to force a change of heart on a sort-of friend, but the situation certainly was pointing towards the need for one.

As practically expected, and even a little welcome, Ryuji quickly protested. “Whoa, wait up. He ain’t that bad. Not like the rest of the jerks we’ve changed…”

While everyone nodded in agreement, Yusuke did add, “But, it doesn’t change the fact that what he’s doing is wrong and has the potential to escalate quickly. Clearly Mishima knows that too if he’s feeling guilty enough to ask if Akira was considering him a target.”

There was a beat of silence before Morgana put forth a suggestion. “Hm…I guess we could find out what’s happening if we managed to find his Shadow. I mean, he’s already worried that we’re gonna change his heart, right?” Akira nodded as Morgana looked to him for confirmation. “We’ll probably be able to track down his Shadow in Mementos. All things considered, I think our best course of action would be to defeat it and change his heart.”

“Dude… You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me…” Ryuji’s reluctance was both obvious and understandable since part of Akira felt the same. But, doing nothing was not going to help.

Makoto was clearly of that mindset as well. “The threats he’s making not only hurt our image but have the potential to have the police get even more involved in discovering our identities. It also puts himself at great risk, as those he threatens could retaliate and violently.” She then hesitated a beat, taking in Ryuji’s stubborn expression before sighing. “Either way, we can decide whether or not we change his heart later. For now, we must meet his Shadow.”

Knowing that, as leader, it was down to him to make the final call, Akira steeled his resolve and nodded. “Let’s go. The sooner we take care of this, the better.”

“Then let’s head into Mementos and track down Mishima’s Shadow!” Morgana declared, and Akira obligingly pulled out his phone to activate the MetaNav.

“Beginning navigation.” It took only a few seconds to transfer into Mementos, Akira welcoming the shift into his alias’ leather, linen, and satin outfit. The easy weight of Arséne’s mask was a comfort, as much as the more prominent sense of wings encircling him, and allowed him to slip into his Joker persona calmly.

Checking to see that everyone was present and ready, Joker signaled to Mona to transform into his car form while he did a quick examination of the MetaNav. “It looks like the Nav’s picking up Mishima’s Shadow somewhere in the lower sections of Chemdah, so let’s get down there quickly.”

“All right! Next stop, Chemdah!” Mona announced as everyone piled in, ready to get this whole trip started and done.

As Joker settled into the driver’s seat, with Queen riding shotgun and Fox directly behind him, he couldn’t help but wonder just how this next conversation with a part of Mishima was going to turn out.

…-…-…-…-…

It took about thirty minutes to find Mishima’s shadow and Joker could admit to feeling tired at this point. Not only had Skull, Panther, and Mona gotten into an argument of just how long the search was taking, but everyone was tiring a little quicker than their usual trips into Mementos. They had just defeated Kaneshiro’s Shadow barely a day ago, and normally wouldn’t be making a Mementos trip for a least a few more days so everyone could properly recover. And while there weren’t as many Shadows choosing to attack them as they travelled –likely due to the innate sense of their strength–, those that did were strong enough to deserve carefully executed battles.

All in all, Joker was ready for the night to be over with so he could get some sleep.

“All right, there’s Mishima. Let’s get this over with and call it a night already,” Skull whined, actually whined, as everyone exited the Monamobile.

The Shadow didn’t seem to notice them until they were literally two feet away, which was unusual for a Shadow, and he was clearly afraid when he turned to face them. Joker did feel a little bad for causing that fear this time around, but let the wariness of those yellow eyes push the feeling away.

“W-Who are you?!” Joker didn’t need to answer as Shadow Mishima came to the conclusion on his own. “Could you be…the Phantom Thieves?!” Chills swept over Joker, and the others judging by the way they tensed, as Shadow Mishima scanned over them and his fear melted into hysteria, head thrown back in laughter.

“Hahahaha! So you wanna change my heart, even after everything I’ve done for you guys?! ME, of all people…?” The menace Joker had heard in the diner then came back, but stronger. “If you just shut up and listened to what I told you, the Phantom Thieves would get even more famous… And if you did that, I’d get some of the spotlight too. I wouldn’t be just some stupid zero anymore…” As desperation began to leak into the Shadow’s voice, Joker couldn’t help but pity the teen. “There’s finally some hope back in my life… So why? Why are you so insistent on stopping me…?”

The Shadow looked them over again then, and Joker wondered what the others’ expressions were to cause Mishima’s face to harden. “Yo, losers. Get out of here. I wanna talk to your leader…alone.”

Joker had pretty much expected that, though he could sense the surprise from his friends, and their hesitance. Mona was to his left and crowding close in defiance, while Fox had stepped closer to his right protectively. As much as Joker appreciated their loyalty, he was pretty sure that this would go better if they heeded the demand; so he partly turned and nodded to everyone.

“It’s fine. Step back guys.”

They were reluctant, but did as he asked, Fox and Mona brushing against him in a show of both affection and protection as they glared at Mishima and walked away, Joker watched as the group retreated only to the entrance of Mishima’s distorted space before turning back to face his classmate with a neutral expression, waiting for him to speak.

He wasn’t quite prepared for the strange blend of bitterness and amusement Shadow Mishima spoke with, but he listened silently. “This is your fault… Before you came along, I knew my role in life. I was supposed to be the guy everyone messed with… I had accepted that I was a zero, embraced it even…” If Joker hadn’t felt pity before, he felt it keenly now. “But once I figured out you were one of the Phantom Thieves, everything changed…You just HAD to get close to me…!”

Joker could argue against that; it was more that Mishima had invited himself along, and Akira hadn’t had it in him to say no. They were really more friendly acquaintances or at best business associates than close friends, as all of their meetings had to do with either school or Phantom Thieves business. They didn’t simply hang out, or just have normal conversations, in-between the work like Joker did with his teammates. But he wasn’t too sure what pointing that out to Shadow Mishima might do, so he refrained and let the other keep talking, watching as the Shadow ruffled his hair in frustration.

“I mean, seeing a real-life hero do all this amazing stuff made me wish I could be something more…I want to change society too… I want the world to notice me! If I can just make the Phantom Thieves famous, maybe I’ll end up famous too…!”

With his pity at its strongest, Joker finally spoke up. “Would that _really_ satisfy you?”

Shadow Mishima looked up at him for moment, thinking about the question before his expression took on a faintly anguished appearance. “I’m not sure…but I don’t have any other choice! I don’t have any special powers like you guys… Heck, nobody even pays attention to me…!”

 _So Ryuji and I are chopped liver? How long is he going to keep forcing himself into the box of a victim?_ , Joker wondered, annoyance tinting the thought, only for pity to return full force.

“In the end, that’s why I need you guys… You’re the only way I’ll be able to make a name for myself!” Finally, Joker could hear a different sort of frustration in the Shadow’s voice, one aimed not at Joker, but himself. “I know it’s wrong…But if I can’t push my way into the spotlight now, when will I…?!”

Joker could only sigh, wondering why everything kept circling back to fame. His expression turned flat and that clearly upset the Shadow as he took a slightly more aggressive stance. “A-Anyway, just bring it on already! You’re here to fight, aren’t you?!”

He heard his teammates shift to come running, but Joker made no moves and said nothing, just looking at Shadow Mishima with a mixture of pity and frankly disappointment. There was a lot Joker could think of to say, he just wasn’t sure which thing would get through Mishima’s head.

Shadow Mishima was clearly bewildered by the continued silence as Joker contemplated his response. “Wh-What…? You aren’t going to change my heart…?”

The faint hint of a plea in Shadow Mishima’s tone was what made Joker’s decision. Mishima was like this because he was relying on others to do the hard work, to do the saving. Rather than take strength from how the Phantom Thieves had stopped Kamoshida because of his crimes and because something needed to be done –not because of the idea they would be recognized–, Mishima had let himself stay passive, forging himself a new, self-abusive, situation by overworking himself to lift someone else up for a chance at indirect fame. Mishima wanted someone else to direct him, but Joker wasn’t willing to play puppet master like Kamoshida had. So he shook his head and turned away.

“W-Wait–“

“Was it fame, that let us stop Kamoshida’s abuses?”

Joker looked at Mona as he spoke up, clearly understanding Joker’s own thoughts and deciding to convey them for the leader. He could hear Shadow Mishima take a breath in surprise, but the other teen was clearly listening.

“Fame didn’t enable us then, nor did we expect it for defeating him. The only thing that mattered at the time was saving Kamoshida’s victims, avenging the ones like Suzui and yourself who were on and over the brink.” Mona paused a second before continuing. “You clearly know our leader’s identity. Your actions under Kamoshida’s instruction made him infamous at Shujin when he’d done nothing wrong and nothing to you to deserve that. And yet, he didn’t hold it against you, didn’t take advantage of the fact that you technically owed him big time for indirectly saving you. Isn’t it about time you learn from that and stop fixating on fame? He won’t change your heart, because you need to step up and do it yourself.”

“Do it…myself…?”

Joker looked over his shoulder at the Shadow and nodded, finally speaking. “You’re more than you think you are, but fame won’t help you realize that.”

“Ah, I’m sure he’ll figure it out,” Skull interjected with a grin. “He has to ‘ve learned somethin’ from bein’ around us heroes all the time. And it’s not like he’d wanna be like that bastard Kamoshida, clingin’ to what fame could give ‘im.”

The Shadow seemed to realize something then, looking toward the ground in surprise. Joker could just make out a few mumbles from the teen. “Like Kamoshida…? Clinging…to fame…?”

Thinking that Skull had actually gotten through to Mishima, Joker nodded in agreement and began to walk back to his team, deeming the situation handled. “Fame isn’t everything, Mishima. It isn’t necessary to finding something to call your own or your place to belong.”

There was silence as Joker walked a few feet forward, only to pause as he felt Arséne’s presence key up to combat levels and a chill ran down his spine. Mishima’s voice made him turn around automatically dropping into a combat stance as he felt the atmosphere get heavy. Mishima was staring at the ceiling with his arms hanging limp, eyes closed and smiling gently as if he’d just had a revelation.

“You have a point… I don’t want to be like Kamoshida, clinging to fame. But…there is one thing about him I wouldn’t mind being able to emulate… Having the strength to take something for myself…”

In that moment, red and black shadow ichor burst from Mishima in a typhoon that quickly encompassed the whole space. No one really even had time to scream before they were enveloped and everything went black, the last thing each of them felt were their Personas curling around them in protection.

…-…-…-…-…

“…ona……..Mon……….MONA!”

Mona jolted back to consciousness, nearly lashing out with his claws but thankfully recognizing Ann’s masked face immediately, thus keeping his claws sheathed as he batted at her. “Wh-What was that for?! You startled me, Panther!”

Panther shook her head, and Mona realized her expression was near hysteria. “I-I’m sorry, Mona, really, but we have a huge problem…!”

“Skull, for the last time, CALM DOWN!” _SMACK!_

Mona, unable to help himself since seeing Ryuji get slapped was pure gold in entertainment, looked around to see Queen holding a flailing Skull up by his jacket not too far from him. Fox was pacing in a rapid tempo near the escalators heading into Mementos past them and… And that was when Mona realized two very important things: they were back at the Mementos Entrance and Joker was missing.

“Wh…What happened? Where’s Joker?!”

“He wasn’t here when I came to,” Fox replied, his voice clipped and strained. “And the last thing I remember was Mishima’s shadow bursting into a sea of ichor.”

Mona was not too proud to admit his heart stopped when he realized that was the last thing he remembered too. “But…what happened? I mean, what exactly did that…explosion do?”

“It seems we’ve witnessed the birth of a new Palace.”

The team startled, but Mona was quick to calm as he recognized the deep baritone voice. “Zorro?”

A burst of ethereal blue flames, and the masked duelist appeared at Mona’s and Panther’s sides. Much to everyone’s surprise, however, the Persona looked genuinely battered in spite of his calm yet determined expression. Clothes ripped, cloak practically rags, and a rapier resembling a bendy straw made his normally dashing visage morbidly humorous. As if starting a trend, everyone else’s masks vanished to signal the arrival of the other Personas, each just as ragged and tattered as Zorro. Carmen was missing her lust-struck suitors and rose-thorn whips, her pigtails half undone and dress tattered. Captain Kidd was missing his hat, ship, and the cutlasses that normally adorned his chest. Johanna was covered in scratches and skid marks in an appearance that screamed she needed a full wash and wax job. Goemon was missing his pipe, geta, obi, and his pompadour was instead a loose mess of hip-length hair.

Each Persona-user inquired after their health but were assured the beings would be fine. Zorro then spoke again, crossing his arms as he did. “It was all we could do to pull you all to a safer place once that Shadow’s desires warped. While you were unconscious, we have heard the whispers of the nameless Shadows teeming through Mementos. _‘The lower reaches of Chemdah are inaccessible, and Lord Mishima has closed his walls to cage his prize.’_ That is what the Shadows say.”

Looks of disbelief circled the team, but Mona was the one to voice his. “But…how did this happen? I mean, we know a Palace forms when a human’s desires become distorted, and yes, technically Mishima’s were starting to distort. But, he clearly had a sort of mental change when we were down there, and those take time to affect the person’s mind in the Real World! So how could a Palace have formed right then?”

“There could be many answers. Who can say for certain?” Johanna murmured solemnly.

“I have theory, however, as the wild card is missing,” Goemon put forth, gaining everyone’s immediate attention. “As you know, when you have performed minor heart changes here, you collect the buds of Treasures that have yet to bloom. Considering where the boy was, he clearly had a Treasure bud at risk of blooming. However, as you mentioned, he underwent a change while you all confronted him. He all but directly said there was something he wanted for his own before his Palace began to form. It is possible he selected a new focus for his Treasure, and his desire for it was already more than strong enough for the bud phase to be skipped.” Goemon paused a moment to move his hair out of his face absently before he concluded his thoughts. “As he is missing, I believe Arséne’s young wielder is the focus of the new ruler’s Treasure.”

Jaws dropped all around, while Panther choked out a rebuttal. “B-But, Joker’s not an object! Every Treasure or Treasure bud, whatever, we’ve taken has been an object!”

Goemon nodded at her point. “True, but just because you have not encountered a person as a Treasure, does not mean it is impossible. And while your leader may be the boy’s focus, the Treasure itself could be something used to cage Arséne’s wielder. There are multiple possibilities for this situation. I am merely suggesting a likely one as the wild card is missing.”

There was nothing anyone could really say against that and so silence reigned for a long moment. Each teen, plus one cat, stayed lost in their thoughts and their worry for their leader until Queen managed to force herself to speak.

“…We’ll need to come up with a plan to not only get into Mishima’s Palace, but to cover Joker’s absence until we can get him back. It’s the middle of the week so we have to figure out some way of keeping the school from contacting his guardian to report his absence… And then we need to keep his guardian from realizing he’s missing when he isn’t seen in the mornings and evenings…”

“The Chief is pretty sharp…I think he’s going to be a bigger problem than anything,” Mona mused absently, concerned for just what kind of consequences this situation could have on his friend’s every day life. “If we could somehow get the school to not call Chief at all or at least not call Leblanc–“

“Wait, can’t we sneak one of our numbers into the records, at least temporarily?” Panther suggested. “That way when they call we can just let it go to voicemail.”

“That might work for one day, but we have no idea how long it will take to get Joker back, and the school will get suspicious if his guardian doesn’t contact them,” Queen pointed out, expression frustrated. “If we could just convince the school not to call at all…”

“Wait, isn’t Joker friends with his homeroom teacher now? I recall we did a change of heart on her behalf,” Fox put forth, and Panther snapped her fingers in remembrance.

“That’s right! Kawakami-sensei helps Joker out all the time, giving him opportunities to do his own thing during class and I think she helps him with chores at Leblanc in the evenings when he asks. If we could give her something valid, she’d be able to cover for Joker with the school!”

“But, what counts as valid?” Skull asked, only for Mona to bounce with enthusiasm.

“Takemi! The doctor Joker is friends with! We just need to convince her to provide a doctor’s note that could cover a reasonable length of time!”

Queen nodded slowly, frustration ebbing to consideration. “That could work, provided we can convince her without her insisting on Joker’s presence for an examination. But, that means we will have to set a very short time limit for ourselves. Without an examination to prove Joker needs a lengthy absence, the most reasonable amount of time a regular doctor’s note could cover is about a week.”

A grimace was shared between the group but they mustered their determination. “We don’t have a choice. Joker is in danger, in more ways than one, and we’re the only ones who can save him,” Fox voiced for them all. “Queen, if you’ll accompany me to the clinic, I believe it will still be open for a short time. We’ll convince her to provide the note.”

“Wait, what do we tell Boss?” Skull interrupted. “He usually waits up for Joker even though the guy has a key.”

“Tell him there’s a project or test coming up and that you guys decided to have him stay over to work on it,” Queen replied quickly. “As long as it’s school related, most guardians won’t look too far into it.”

“I’ll tell him. Boss will believe me more than Skull,” Panther volunteered, ignoring Skull’s grumbling. “We’ll say that my parents volunteered to put us up for a week so we can work on a school project.”

“That is a sound plan,” Carmen commented, chuckling when the teens all jumped as they forgot their Personas were present. “And what shall be told to the lady doctor?”

“Though I am leery of using this without Joker’s permission, I propose we tell her his parents are trying to cause problems for him,” Fox explained, face creased with distaste. “Though we can only speculate until he tells us himself, the fact that he will not speak of his past beyond his record…combined with the fact that his parents abandoned him to serving his probation with a stranger in an unfamiliar city, without so much as trying to check on him… I suspect Joker’s home-life was unpleasant at best.”

“Wait, does she know ‘bout his record?” Skull asked, receiving a nod in response.

“She does, and finds the parallels between their situations as a bonding point,” Fox assured. “I was actually present for that conversation, so I know she will at least take my word for it if I tell her his family is causing problems. I want Queen there as back up, since as student council president she can lend me a modicum of authority if Takemi-san does seem too doubtful.”

“…It’s a decent plan, though I agree that using such a story without Joker’s permission is unsettling,” Queen murmured before shaking her head. “But it’s the best plan we have right now. We’ll talk to him about it once we get him back.”

“Then if we’re set, let’s go. We only have a short time before the clinic closes, and we need that note before morning,” Mona insisted, only for Queen to bring up another point.

“Wait, what about you, Mona? Won’t his guardian be suspicious if you aren’t present?”

Fox shrugged, “It would be troublesome trying to explain either why Mona was with Joker, possibly at school too, or why Joker would take off and leave Mona at Leblanc. However, it would probably be best for Skull to sneak Mona up to Joker’s room then come back down with him. You can simply say you’re picking up an overnight bag for Joker and that Panther’s parents agreed to let Joker keep Mona with him for the week.”

“I can work with that,” Panther agreed, again ignoring Skull’s grumbling about getting cat fur in his bag.

“Then your plan is set,” Goemon intoned. “We will keep our ears to the Shadows’ whisperings while you are outside of the Metaverse. Perhaps we will gain insight into the wild card’s condition.”

“Okay then. Mission: Rescue Joker and change Mishima’s heart, starts now!” Mona declared. “Let’s get back to the Real World and get Joker’s cover set up. We can text later tonight to hash out a plan to find Mishima’s Palace.” Queen obligingly pulled out her phone and activated the MetaNav, the Personas reforming back into the Thieves’ masks just before the transfer.

Once back in the Real World, the group exchanged determined nods and immediately headed for the train going to Yongen-Jaya. They would get their leader back, safe and sound, with as few complications as they possibly could.

…-…-…-…-…

“–will not keep us contained long, Shadow. Your paltry desires will not stop our companions from locating us, and _I_ will not allow you to put even one hand on my wielder.”

Joker wanted to groan at the headache that made itself known as he came to, but Arséne’s voice took more of his notice. Deciding that attracting attention was not in his best interest, Joker did his best to keep his breathing even while carefully peeking through his lashes, trying not to make any obvious movements. He just about gave himself away immediately when he realized several things:

One, he was in a bedroom that was almost gaudy enough to be featured in Madarame’s Palace. Two, he was laying on a huge four-post bed with Arséne kneeling beside and over him protectively. Three, cell bars were keeping them caged on the bed. Four, there were manacles on his wrists and the chains connected to the wooden canopy of the bed. Five, Shadows that resembled black-suited security guards from American movies were standing at attention outside the bed-cage. And six, Shadow Mishima stood at the foot of the bed-cage, dressed like something out of that American movie The Matrix, and the look on his face was along the lines of fond indulgence.

Frankly, Joker was surprised Arséne hadn’t tried to claw that look off the Shadow’s face. It made Joker’s skin crawl.

“Well, I guess it’s lucky that my world decided to contain you for me,” Shadow Mishima commented with a chuckle. “Not that it’s surprising. Anything is possible on the internet, and since I created this forum, it makes sense that it would defend me. But don’t worry, I won’t hurt Akira. It wouldn’t make sense to damage the one who made it possible for me to change, who granted me the power to change the world. I’ll keep you both here, safe and sound, until you agree to just follow my directions.”

Mishima’s expression turned to that disturbing, gleeful hunger then. “As your producer, I need my star loyal and obedient so I can properly reap the rewards of our work. But I can’t give him too much freedom until you both are, or you’ll bite the hand that feeds you. Thankfully there’s plenty of time to work on that. The other Thieves will do as I say in the meantime since they can’t go against me without thinking Akira is at risk. In the end, I’ll get exactly what I want: a world to my liking and recognition, even if it’s only from those poor sheep we save. With any luck, fame will just be a bonus.”

Joker had to force down a shiver as those eyes seemed to rake over him. “And best of all, I get to keep my star all to myself. My world, my Treasure, makes that possible… But I should let you both rest, after all you had to battle just to find me so you must be tired. Security, with me. They deserve privacy while they rest. You made sure to take their tools, right?”

“Yes, Lord Mishima,” one of the guards replied, holding up a black metal briefcase. “The Palace took their items, including a set of lock picks, a phone, and weapons, upon forming.”

“Good, then we can leave them be,” Shadow Mishima confirmed, before smiling toward the caged pair. “Have a good rest. We’ll talk more once I’ve fortified my base forum and recruited more Security. Can’t be too careful after all.”

Joker wished he could make a scathing comment, settled for Arséne’s quiet growl, and watched as Mishima and his guards walked toward the wall directly across from the foot of the bed. It was fairly nondescript –for being dark-lacquered wood riddled with silver embellishments– with a single full-length oval mirror hanging on it. Mishima took off a glove and pressed his hand to the wall directly beside the mirror and it vanished, digitally melting away in dark blue and bright white lines. The mirror reformed after the Shadow and his guards stepped through, leaving Joker and his Persona alone in their new cell.

“…Damn it, I am no one’s damsel in distress,” Joker grumbled as he fully opened his eyes, letting Arséne help him sit up and hissing as he took in the manacles on the gentleman’s thief’s wrists and near the base of his wings. “Are you all right, Arséne?”

“The chains are merely an irritant and inconvenience. I am not harmed,” Arséne replied, wings flicking slightly in signal of his irritation. “Unfortunately, they do serve to restrain our powers as well as physically, or I would have already removed us from this Shadow’s tacky taste in decorating.”

He couldn’t disagree with the Persona. The dark-lacquered wood of the walls and bed could have been tasteful if not for the bright silver, Victorian-inspired embellishments covering every inch of them. Aside from the mirror door, there were large, decorative wall fans on the walls to either side of the bed that also could have been lovely with their bamboo forest motifs; but the very obvious bright gold used for the slats of the fans were an eyesore. The floor seemed to be gold-sheen wooden tile, and decorated only with a plush black rug under the bed itself. Well, and a European-style, dark wood standing coat rack in the back corner to Joker’s right.

Seeing the rack held a familiar coat with a certain pair of red gloves sticking out of a pocket and a pair of boots sitting beneath the coat made Joker realize he was only wearing his sleeveless top, his pants, and black socks. Grumbling about Palaces undressing him without his permission, Joker returned to his inspection of the room, noting that the ceiling seemed to be a digital screen depicting a full moon for light. Finally, the bed itself was covered in a black, satin-top comforter littered with the same silver designs as the walls and bed frame, with giant gold pillows against the head-bars and sheer gold curtains that could be pulled closed around the perimeter.

All of it made Joker gag. “Apparently Mishima could have swapped notes with Madarame for his taste in decor. You wouldn’t think it from his fashion choices though…”

“As far as I can perceive, the room formed this way because of his view of you, rather than personal taste,” Arséne informed dryly, chuckling at the grimace that swept Joker’s expression.

“Do I have some cosmic tattoo that says _‘wants to be a spoiled pet’_ somewhere on me? Or a _'kick me'_ sign, whichever,” Joker growled as his eyes swept the room again before he closed them and massaged his temples. “But never mind that. We need to find a way out of here and find the others. Mishima made it sound like he has them too, and I’m not sure I want to know what kind of cells he made for them.”

“They are not here, young one.” Joker’s eyes snapped open at that, looking at Arséne in question. “They were far enough back from the Shadow that their Personas were able to drag them to safety. Even your Fox is safe, despite him starting to rush to your side when the air grew heavy with distortion.”

Joker couldn’t help but duck his head with a blush, playing with a lock of his hair as he murmured, “He isn’t mine…”

“One of these days you’ll be honest about your feelings for him,” Arséne sighed fondly. “Regardless, he, too, is safe. No doubt they will be working on a plan to come after us.”

“Yeah, with both Queen and Mona out there, I don’t doubt they’ll come up with something,” Joker agreed before scowling. “But like I said before, I’m no one’s damsel in distress. We can use our time here to find a way out.”

“Certainly. However, some rest would not be amiss,” Arséne pointed out reasonably. “Much as I dislike admitting it, between dealing with the flying pig’s Palace and then hunting down this Shadow, we are running toward exhaustion.”

Acknowledging the creeping weariness in his limbs, Joker had no choice but to agree with his Persona. “You’re right, of course.” Grey eyes looked to his companion in concern. “Are you going to be all right sleeping with those chains on your wings? I assume having our powers blocked means you can’t return to mask form.”

One clawed hand gently carded through his hair in affection as the being laughed. “Correct, and I will be fine, my wielder. Not that I would return to mask form in this situation if I could, but I appreciate your concern. Come, let us get as comfortable as we can for now. I assume you have no desire to actually make use of the covers or pillows?”

Joker looked at the objects in question with disgust. “I’m not using those if I can avoid it.” He then turned mischievous eyes back to Arséne. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tear them up and we can toss them on the floor as a statement?”

Arséne laughed again. “Perhaps after we wake. Even better if we can time it so the Shadow walks in and sees us doing so.”

Together the pair drew the curtains –which had Joker grumbling about the poor color choice– so the walls weren’t as clearly visible before carefully arranging themselves so the chains weren’t in the way. Joker found himself most comfortable curled up cat-like against Arséne’s chest –thinking fondly of Mona as he got situated– with one of his Persona’s arms and wings covering him as a pseudo blanket.

“Night, Arséne.”

“Sleep well, young one. With any luck, the Velvet Room will be kind enough to allow us an uninterrupted rest.”

“If I have to ignore them, I will. Caroline will just have to deal with me being rude. Justine might find it funny though.”

Arséne’s quiet, rumbling laugh was the last thing Joker heard as he dropped off, soothed by the presence of his Persona and the knowledge his friends were safe for now.

…-… **Omake: Velvet Room** …-…

“My, my, it seems an interesting situation has befallen our Trickster,” the purveyor of the Velvet Room chuckled to himself as he observed the birth of Yuki Mishima’s Palace and Akira’s capture.

Caroline huffed, stomping in sheer irritation that she would never admit was directed more toward the Palace Ruler rather than Akira. “What kind of Trickster lets himself get captured like that?! Seriously, no survival instincts at all!”

“To be fair, Caroline,” Justine calmly interjected, “the Inmate has never experienced the birth of a new Palace. He did feel the danger, as he clearly prepared to fight, but he simply didn’t have the knowledge to know he needed to retreat to safety.”

“Well…yeah, I guess that’s fair,” Caroline grumbled. “Still, he’s pretty much helpless at the moment, even with his primary Persona physically beside him.”

“Hm, perhaps this is less a trial for the Trickster, and more a challenge for his Confidants.” Their master’s musing drew the twins’ attention to him. “After all, a Trickster who has embraced the path of companionship is only as strong as his bonds. And bonds cannot be one way.” The girls exchanged a curious look between them while their master chuckled to himself.

“This will be a most entertaining spectacle.”


	2. Waning Phase: Gibbous Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Thoughts are italicized  
> -Primarily Yusuke's POV this time, and it was...difficult  
> -F*** Game-Mechanics, I've done my best to transition them into something believable  
> -Confidant Ranks are much further along than would normally be possible in game, because f*** game-mechanics  
> -Many liberties will be taken in regards to Mishima's past and family, as they were not confirmed in game  
> -I drew floor plan maps like you see in game, and as soon as I figure out how to post them they will be here!  
> -I tend to make a lot of references to other fandoms I love, I'm curious how many people can spot
> 
> Edit: Fixed some grammar/spelling errors and I think I managed to get my first set of maps set up correctly!

“Yo, losers. Get out of here. I wanna talk to your leader…alone.”

Yusuke, or Fox as he was currently in Mementos, liked to think he was a sympathetic person or at least becoming one. Being freed from Madarame’s poisonous influence had opened Fox up to both the beauty and ugliness of the world he’d been restrained from. He was able to see and acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses in both himself and others with careful observation, and strove to understand the differences between them all to improve his art. However, awakening to Goemon had also made him very much uncompromising in both his ability to see through vice and lies, and his strength to defend what he cared for.

In his eyes, Yuuki Mishima was pitiable in that he wished for a niche of his own yet refused to break the chains that restrained him as a victim. He was also annoying in that his actions threatened the Phantom Thieves’ integrity and existence, while daring to think he _owned_ them. And to Fox it was very clear Mishima thought himself their owner –their _producer_ as Joker and Mona had informed them–, which was likely the reason such a weak-hearted person thought he could order the team away from their leader.

Fox wasn’t exactly prone to violence, despite how much fighting came with being a Phantom Thief, but he had to force down the urge to leap in front of Joker and draw his katana against Mishima’s throat. He did _not_ appreciate someone trying to separate him from his dearest friend, his muse, which made him far less sympathetic to Mishima than he probably could be.

What truly held him in check was Joker turning to them, those hypnotic eyes guarded but calm. Those eyes, at least in the Metaverse, truly embodied the phrase _‘windows to the soul’_ as Fox never had a problem reading them. But then it needed to be that way. For as much mystery that still surrounded his muse’s personal life and history, Joker always made sure his team could read him properly when their health and safety was at risk –a risk that was always present when near Shadows of any kind.

At the moment, Joker was making it plain that while, yes, there was a chance this encounter could escalate, he wasn’t worried yet. It was safe to heed Mishima’s demand.

Not that Fox _wanted_ to heed it; he disliked Mishima’s attitude and absolutely loathed the way the Shadow was focused intently, hungrily, on Joker. But Fox trusted Joker, which is the only reason he complied. He did, however, deliberately brush against the shorter teen before pulling back with the others. For Joker, it was a sign of affection and trust.

For Mishima, combined with a cold glare, it was a warning that Fox would defend his leader if the Shadow pushed its luck.

Coming to a stop near the entrance of Mishima’s distorted space, Fox focused intently on the conversation between the Shadow and Joker, grateful that Goemon lent his strength to his wielder’s senses so Fox could hear them despite the distance. The artist periodically found himself lowly growling as Mishima ranted about his circumstances and how he blamed Joker for the confusion in his life. Granted, yes, Joker was a primary reason why Kamoshida had repented, thus freeing Mishima from the man’s abuse and letting him find a new path to follow. However, blaming Joker for his struggles to heal from the abuse was uncalled for, was running away from taking responsibility for his own mind and actions.

It just notched up Fox’s annoyance with the mousy teen, to the point where he nearly jumped at the chance of a battle when Mishima tried to goad Joker into a fight.

But as Joker remained silent and made no moves, Fox forced himself to stay put and calm down. Mishima was clearly no physical threat to the Thieves’ from Joker’s demeanor, was probably more a threat to himself than them. It was pitiable, even more so when Mishima’s bewilderment came across as desperate pleading. He was in full agreement with Joker’s decision to turn away from the Shadow, clearly intending to make Mishima change his own heart.

Mona’s speech about Kamoshida was a thoughtful addition, and Fox nodded along with the cat’s points reflexively, though his eyes never left Joker. It was lovely to see the fond agreement on his face as Joker listened to Mona as well; it softened Joker’s expression in spite of Arséne’s mask partially obscuring it. The amusement from Skull’s comment –which Fox would never admit to the vulgar boy that he actually made one good point– was a delightful spark in those cool-toned depths that made Fox relax and smile.

“Fame isn’t everything, Mishima. It isn’t necessary to finding something to call your own or your place to belong.”

Hearing those words from Joker, watching his gaze sweep over all of the Thieves, melted Fox’s heart all over again –much as it did every time his muse sought him out without any prompting and followed every whim that came to the artist’s mind. The depth of affection their leader held for them was plain to see, and Fox treasured that knowledge, equally to his art. He could feel Goemon’s fond teasing within his soul and Fox could admit that, yes, he was very much smitten for Joker. However now was not the time to test the waters and see if Joker held the same feelings.

He might have ignored Goemon’s whispering about how no time seemed to suit the artist.

All warm feelings fled, however, when the very air became heavy and foreboding, Fox’s gaze snapping to Mishima automatically. Mishima’s posture didn’t look threatening, honestly it looked almost as if he were having a change of heart and preparing to return to his real self. But something was wrong, emphasized by how Joker had whipped around and dropped straight into a combat stance. It prompted Fox’s grip to tighten on his katana and he began running toward Joker, every warning instinct he possessed screaming that his muse was in danger.

He didn’t get close enough before a sea of Shadow ichor flooded the area and swept Fox away. The last thing he felt before he fell unconscious was Goemon surging forth from his soul and enclosing him in a protective bubble. But all Fox could think of was how Joker had been so far from him and far too close to Mishima.

…-…-…-…-…

“Takemi-san was surprisingly lenient in her questioning.”

Yusuke gave an absent nod to Makoto as the pair exited the clinic, carefully looking around to make sure Sojiro Sakura was no where in view before leading the way out toward the station, where they’d agreed to meet the others after their task. He was too busy focusing on his own mind to really pay attention to the team’s advisor, trying to alter his worry and rage into something useful; the minor amount he’d managed to channel to convince Takemi of their story was not enough of a drain to tame the storm so he could think properly. And it was a very difficult task, as all he wanted to do was rip the Metaverse apart until Akira was returned to them safely and Mishima was a repentant wreck.

He knew that moment he’d awoken at the entrance to Mementos and realized Akira was missing would haunt him for a _long_ time, and Yusuke despised Mishima for forcing such a memory into existence.

“Oh! I didn’t think it was supposed to rain tonight…”

Makoto’s voice made Yusuke take notice of the sporadic drops that were starting to hit him, but all he could do was withhold a dispassionate laugh. His mood had a tendency to reflect the weather –had for years–, or perhaps the weather was choosing to express his inner storm for him. Nevertheless, he trailed behind Makoto as she rushed the last few yards to the station though he chose to linger just beneath the entrance awning for a moment as his eyes caught on something. From that spot, he could just glimpse the back of Leblanc, could partially see the window that hid Akira’s attic safe haven from the world and had no choice but to acknowledge the lack of light coming from the window.

It was yet another reminder that Akira wasn’t here, wasn’t _safe_ , but this one condensed his feelings into _pain_.

 _Why did we move all the way to the entrance when that thing bade us to leave? Why did Akira_ linger _so close to the Shadow when Morgana was talking?_ Why _didn’t I go to meet him halfway when Akira_ started _walking away from the Shadow?!_

Goemon’s presence wrapping around him tightly, gripping his wrists in restraint, and forcing forward the memory of when he fell with Ann into Madarame’s Palace and became ill with realization was what pulled him from his thoughts. He realized one of his hands was clawing at the brick wall beside him, drawing pinpricks of blood from his fingertips, while the other clenched and dug into his chest much like it had during those moments of sickening understanding of his mentor’s true nature.

His Persona’s intent was clear: _Calm down before you become ill again._

He had no choice but to cling to Goemon’s comforting cold-fire presence to accomplish that demand. Paired with compounded exhaustion from dealing with Kaneshiro’s Palace plus the journey through Mementos just to find Mishima’s Shadow, Yusuke’s feelings were too turbulent to control alone. But Goemon understood –how could he not?–, and he gently coursed his icy power through Yusuke’s body to numb the physical pain his emotions were causing. This allowed Yusuke to focus and shape the cold in his mind, surrounding his rage primarily so he could freeze it solid and tuck it away to deal with later.

Technically, this wasn’t a healthy way to deal with his emotions as it could potentially put him in a state of apathy. But he knew Goemon would help him confront and deal with it later, in private when they didn’t have to worry about the other Thieves coming across him during a breakdown.

Forcing himself into meditative breaths, Yusuke was able to straighten up and pull out the packet of bandaids he kept in his school bag. This was something Ann had insisted on, after Yusuke had torn up his fingertips when he awakened Goemon in his soul, and that reminder let him give a faint smile and chuckle as he bandaged the three fingers he’d cut on the brickwork. Once done, he took one more look at his muse’s empty home before striding into the station to find Makoto, letting cold determination take hold of him.

Once he got his head on straight, he would be able to concentrate on getting Akira back. _And I’m never letting something like this happen again, even if it means handcuffing him to me_ , Yusuke couldn’t help but growl to himself.

“There you are, Yusuke. I thought you were right behind me.”

Yusuke snapped out of his thoughts to see Makoto gently scolding him, the others already present, and leaving Yusuke to wonder just how long he’d been out of it this time.

“Ah, my apologizes, Makoto. I…was distracted when I saw Akira’s window so dark…”

The sympathy that settled on hers and Ann’s faces made it clear they understood, while Ryuji –clueless as ever– scowled with befuddlement.

“Uh, well, he’s not there so it’s not like the light would– _OW! What the eff was that for, Cat?!_ ”

Morgana retracted his claws from Ryuji’s shoulder but hissed in his face from the vulgar boy’s bag. “How are you _that_ insensitive?! It’s a reminder that Akira’s in trouble and we can’t get to him yet!”

He probably should feel guilty about it, but Yusuke was gratified to see Ryuji wince in shame. “S-Sorry. I’m…just trying not t’ think about it, ‘cause it pisses me off…”

“We get that, Ryuji, we really do. But, that doesn’t mean you can just…not think at all,” Morgana reprimanded with a sigh before turning to Yusuke. “Anyway, the Chief had already left for the night, so we’ll have to take time after school tomorrow to tell him our cover story. For now, you all need to get home before the trains stop running. We’ll text about getting into Mishima’s Palace before bed.”

The teens all nodded before Makoto reached out to Morgana, picking him up out of Ryuji’s bag. “You can stay with me until we get Akira back. My sister probably isn’t going to be home much if Kaneshiro does what Kamoshida and Madarame did and turns himself into the police. So hiding you won’t be hard.”

“Thanks, Makoto. I appreciate it.”

“I suppose we should depart then. There are only two trains left on the schedule,” Yusuke commented as he glanced at his phone.

In agreement, the group made their way to the train heading back to Shibuya, from which they went their separate ways. Yusuke was slow to return to the dorms, deciding to wait until after the coming text conversation to go inside and work on his mental state. He knew if he secluded himself now he wouldn’t be able to contribute to the plan, and the last thing he wanted was to be considered a liability, benched from saving Akira.

For the moment, he ignored Goemon’s mental reproof, one that said he was being unnecessarily pessimistic.

Barely a few minutes after he’d settled on the covered outdoor seating in front of his dorm, Yusuke’s smartphone buzzed with the first of the expected texts.

 **Ann:** I just got home. What about you guys?

 **Yusuke:** I am outside my dorms at the moment, but I am ready to discuss the plan.

 **Makoto:** Morgana and I just got off the train. We’ll be home in about ten minutes.

 **Ryuji:** You guys go ahead and start without me.

 **Ryuji:** The kitchen light’s on so Mom’s probably gonna make me sit down for a late dinner.

 **Makoto:** Understood. At worst, just make sure you read whatever we come up with.

 **Ryuji:** Got it.

 **Yusuke:** Then we shall wait for you to get home, Makoto.

With ten minutes to kill, Yusuke pulled out a sketchbook from his bag but didn’t take out any pencils. Instead, he perused the most recent pages, eyes tracing over the snatches of emotions he had collected from the trips to Mementos and Kaneshiro’s Palace. Hands slapped together for a Baton Pass, a scimitar slicing the air itself, the coalescing of ice to shatter the armor off a Shadow, skid marks and sparks circling around as Nuclear energy lashed forward…the fluttering of coattails during a leap to rip off a Shadow’s mask. None of them were full portraits, but they captured wisps of the essences of his friends and himself, of their true selves unfettered by the chains of normality.

He wanted to make full portraits of them all, or maybe a single panoramic of the whole group. But he had trouble capturing any of them in their entirety. Even simplistic, vulgar Ryuji, wild and unbending as Skull, evaded capture on canvas. It was frustrating, though in a fond way. He was always learning something new about them, about himself, and learning new ways to view what he already knew. It tore him between wanting to unravel all their mysteries for his art, and never solving it just so he could keep being surprised.

_Akira would probably enjoy finding new ways to surprise me even if I did unravel him._

Wincing at the lance of pain the thought brought, Yusuke couldn’t help but wonder if any of the others were just as pained by Akira’s absence as he was. Part of him hoped he wasn’t alone in his pain and part of him wouldn’t wish it on them at all. And there was that ever present part of him that hoped they didn’t feel as strongly for Akira as he did in general; that part he mentally pictured smacking with his sheathed katana for its inappropriate timing.

He also gave a mental pout at the amused nudge he received from Goemon: _You are ridiculous. One day Arséne and I will lock you both in a safe room to properly deal with your feelings._

Yusuke was grateful for the distracting buzzing of his phone, considering the mental image _that_ put in his head.

 **Makoto:** All right, Morgana and I are settled.

 **Ann:** Okay, so, how do we get into Mishima-kun’s Palace?

 **Ann:** I’ve been trying to think of keywords for him, but they all seem…unrealistic to me.

 **Yusuke:** How so?

 **Ann:** Well, Mishima-kun’s always been that kid that everyone either ignores or picks on.

 **Ann:** I think that’s why it was so easy for Kamoshida to make him be his errand boy. It gave him a purpose, even if it was shitty.

 **Ann:** But that also means I can’t think of a physical place he’d see as something Palace-worthy.

 **Ann:** The only thing I can think of that he’d be in almost absolute control over would be the Phan-site.

 **Ann:** But does that even count as something that could be a Palace?

 **Yusuke:** Allow me to try it with the MetaNav. One moment.

Closing his IM, Yusuke switched over to the MetaNav and talked lowly into it incase anyone was nearby.

“Yuuki Mishima.”

“Candidate found.”

“And…the Phantom Aficionado Website.”

“Candidate found.”

“Well, that answers that question,” Yusuke mumbled to himself before closing the app and returning his IM.

 **Yusuke:** The MetaNav confirmed it. The Phantom Aficionado Website is the ‘where’ for Mishima’s keywords.

 **Makoto:** Somehow, I’m both surprised and not.

 **Ann:** Well, that’s two down. So, what would he consider the site?

 **Makoto:** Perhaps a castle? He did say that he wanted to emulate Kamoshida by being able to take something for himself.

 **Makoto:** That makes me think of kings and castles.

 **Ann:** I don’t think so, but let me try the Nav this time.

 **Makoto:** What do you think, Yusuke? Morgana doubts it too.

 **Yusuke:** I also doubt it.

 **Yusuke:** While the Shadow said he wanted the strength to take something for himself, he specifically said that was the only thing he wanted to emulate.

 **Makoto:** Kamoshida did tell the whole school during his confession that he thought of it as a castle… That could be enough to put Mishima off from the thought.

 **Ann:** No good guys. I also tried kingdom, empire, temple, and domain just in case.

 **Yusuke:** Do we know anything else about Mishima that could give us a clue?

 **Ann:** Not that I can think of. Akira and Ryuji are around him more often than me, though.

 **Makoto:** Morgana says it might have more to do with the site.

 **Makoto:** It and the Phantom Thieves are the only things he talks about with Akira.

 **Yusuke:** That is troublesome. I cannot think of anything that could fit that criteria.

 **Ann:** Me neither.

 **Ann:** Hey, if Ryuji can’t come up with anything, then I’ll come up with something to ask Mishima-kun directly.

 **Ann:** He is in the same class as me and Akira.

 **Makoto:** But…he might figure out your identity. He might also suspect we’re targeting him.

 **Yusuke:** I thought he already suspected that when he asked Akira if we considered him a potential target?

 **Makoto:** Yes, but that’s suspicion of future action, not present action.

 **Ann:** I know it’s risky, but let’s be honest.

 **Ann:** He knows Akira is a Phantom Thief, and from there it wouldn’t be hard to figure out that Ryuji and I could be too.

 **Ann:** Aside from the two of us, plus you now Makoto, Mishima-kun is literally the only other person willing to get to know Akira.

 **Ann:** Everyone else is too focused on Akira’s record to even meet his eyes, let alone try to make friends.

 **Yusuke:** That is vexing. Akira has done nothing to them, is a kind person, and I recall he makes good grades. Surely they can see that?

 **Makoto:** Unfortunately, Kamoshida made sure Akira’s record and any exaggerations he could come up with were hammered into everyone’s heads.

 **Makoto:** The fact that he made Mishima assist him doesn’t help. It was plastered on the school district forums too.

 **Yusuke:** I am finding fewer and fewer reasons to like Mishima, and Shujin in general.

 **Ann:** Mishima-kun isn’t a bad person…Kamoshida forced him to post it.

 **Yusuke:** Be that as it may, Mishima did not even apologize until after the change of heart occurred, am I correct?

 **Ann:** Well, yeah...

 **Yusuke:** And I recall Akira telling me that you stole Kamoshida’s Treasure with a week to spare. Plenty of time to at least apologize.

 **Yusuke:** And then there is his recent behavior and actions.

 **Ann:** I’m not trying to make excuses for him. But things were really tense during that time, since he, Ryuji, and Akira were all at risk of expulsion.

 **Ann:** He probably was too scared to say anything since he was dragged into it just because he was there when Ryuji blew up at Kamoshida.

Yusuke growled lowly to himself. He understood that Ann was trying to be open-minded about Mishima’s situation, but Yusuke couldn’t make himself do the same. All he could think of was the fact that this mousy boy’s Shadow had kidnapped his muse.

 **Makoto:** Regardless, let’s get back on topic.

 **Makoto:** What did you have in mind to ask him, Ann?

 **Ann:** Something along the lines of, as the admin, what does he think of the site.

 **Makoto:** That seems a little too direct.

 **Ann:** Maybe. But I don’t think an indirect question will get any response at all.

 **Ann:** Besides, if we’re lucky Ryuji might be able to think of something. Mishima-kun goes along with him on almost all his stupid ideas.

 **Yusuke:** That is not reassuring.

 **Makoto:** Morgana agrees with Yusuke.

 **Ann:** Well, this is all we have. Right?

 **Yusuke:** I am reluctant to admit, I am short on ideas. And since I do not attend Shujin or interact with Mishima regularly…

 **Makoto:** We’ll see what Ryuji thinks in the morning and go from there. For now, we should get some sleep.

 **Ann:** Right. Goodnight guys.

Bidding the girls goodnight, Yusuke closed his IM again and tilted his head back with a heavy sigh. He hated feeling so _useless_ , and resented that he was the only non-Shujin student in the group. It made it hard for him to help with anything outside of the Metaverse.

The artist winced as Goemon prodded at him, admonishing him and bringing up one of his recent memories of Akira encouraging him: _You are not useless, and they would not want you to give up your pursuits for them._

 _I_ know _that_ , Yusuke snapped at his Persona. _But that does not change the facts. By attending a different school, I am unable to help when problems occur that center around Shujin._

Goemon was clearly unimpressed with that response and urged him to return to his dorm so they could debate in actual privacy. As childish as it was, Yusuke petulantly stormed to his dorm and nearly slammed the door behind him. Luckily he didn’t have a roommate that would be disturbed by his behavior, as Kosei had given him a single room so he could _‘have privacy to recover from his time with Madarame’_.

With his privacy guaranteed, Yusuke braced for the sharp energy drain that came with materializing a Persona in the Real World. It was _not_ something done often, as the Real World didn’t have the ambient energies Personas could draw on to maintain their forms on their own like the Metaverse did. So to accomplish this, the Persona-user had to sacrifice a large chunk of energy, around the equivalent of three-quarters of the total energy he would normally have available to cast spells, just to summon the Persona. Thus it could be dangerous when done repeatedly or when hurt.

Or when teetering on the edge of exhaustion.

Yusuke immediately felt dizzy, all of his childish anger evaporating as he gratefully accepted Goemon’s help in sitting on the bed. “You, young one, are _very_ foolish at times.”

“I am aware,” Yusuke replied, massaging his temples as he leaned into the cold-fire presence beside him, trying to preemptively stave off a headache from the dizziness. “And I realize I am not dealing with the most recent event well.”

“To say the least,” Goemon rumbled before sighing. “There is nothing wrong in being upset, worried for your intended and angry at his captor. It _is_ a problem for you to let it cripple instead of bolster you.”

“Akira is not my–“

“Only because you both dance around each other instead of being honest,” Goemon cut him off, staring balefully at his wielder. “I did not jest before. I _will_ ask Arséne to assist me in locking you both in a safe room to discuss your feelings. But that is a conversation for another time.”

Swallowing back another attempt to refute his Persona, Yusuke bent to lean over his knees with a sigh. “I nearly made myself ill again.”

“Indeed, and you are ignoring valid points made in favor of sympathizing with the Real-Self of your adversary.”

Yusuke grimaced. “I do not care for him. Even putting aside what his Shadow has done, the few times I have personally interacted with him have left me a low opinion of him.”

He thought to the time he ran into Akira and Mishima at the planetarium, how Akira had explained to him in a low voice that Mishima had been following up on a possible Mementos lead which was why he’d been so rude as to call the artist an eccentric. Mishima had been very avoidant, and Yusuke could tell he had apologized more because Akira was his friend than anything else. Since then, Yusuke caught the boy scrutinizing him and Akira anytime the pair of them were hanging out and Mishima happened to be in the area, only for the other boy to flee if he realized Yusuke had noticed him.

To put it simply, it _irritated_ him.

“I understand that he is an abuse victim. I can sympathize with that. I cannot, however, excuse his behavior since then, especially when his Shadow said plainly that Mishima knew his actions were wrong.” A deep scowl settled on Yusuke’s face. “He claims to be our strongest supporter, yet he not only places us at risk by threatening people in our name, he tries to direct us like mindless sheep as if he owns us. From the conversation Morgana and Akira relayed to us, there is even a strong possibility he is withholding requests for help that could need genuine attention but do not fit with his bid for gaining popularity.”

“Your last point is speculation, but I agree that the others are valid reasons to dislike and mistrust him,” Goemon stated plainly. “However, based on his Shadow’s words, these are recent changes based on his inability to cope with his freedom from abuse. If your places were switched, if that boy had been in the Metaverse with the Phantom Thieves when they felled the Castle of Lust while you remained unknowing of the Metaverse when the Museum of Vanity crumbled, what path do you believe you would have taken?”

Yusuke was confused by the question, unsure what point Goemon was making. “Well, until I fell into Sen– _Madarame’s_ Palace I did not even think the Phantom Thieves could be real. I…suppose I would have been shocked, and just as lost for direction as I was knowing about it all.”

Goemon nodded. “Indeed, you were floundering without the crutch of familiarity the neglect provided. In many ways, you are still floundering, are you not?”

The way Goemon pointedly looked toward a certain tarp-covered canvas near his study desk made Yusuke wince but nod in agreement. His attempts in understanding the heart since the poor showing of _Desire_ were more than evidence enough of how he had been searching for direction.

“But what is it that is allowing you to find your way? That is preventing you from stagnating even when you feel defeated?”

The answer was as easy to find as breathing, barely requiring thought. “My friends’ support. Akira’s support.”

Again, Goemon nodded and then pressed, “And, knowing what you do about your adversary’s Real-Self, and about your own struggles, what is it that prevents him from moving forward?”

Thinking about it, Yusuke found himself remembering what Ann had said in her texts that evening, about Mishima being either ignored or bullied. “…A lack of friends…?”

“Partially. Support in general seems to be a better fit, however,” Goemon corrected. “In spite of being isolated from them during your school hours, you know your companions are there for you, as they know you are always ready to assist them. You also know that, despite your cold demeanor toward him before your awakening, Arséne’s wielder would drop everything to come to your aid if you needed it regardless of _when_ it would be needed.”

That had Yusuke flushing as he recalled how, that very first time Yusuke had sought his help concerning his slump, Akira had actually canceled preset plans with both Ann and Ryuji to come help him. He’d apologized profusely for that, only for Akira to smile and say it wasn’t any trouble at all. Ryuji had grumbled at Akira a little, but neither he nor Ann were really upset about the cancellation.

“We have no clear picture of the boy’s home life, but I would assume it is not enough to help him cope,” Goemon continued. “And it is not uncommon for chosen family to be a better support than those one lives with. My point, however, is that you are not, and do not feel, alone. He, on the other hand, clearly feels as if he is struggling alone.”

“But even Ann pointed out that he often meets with Ryuji and Akira,” Yusuke argued.

“I did not say he _is_ alone, but that he _feels_ alone,” Goemon rebuked, making Yusuke duck his head in apology. “That is the truest difference between you both. He has blinded himself to all but his own pain and desires, and clings to what he believes will grant him those desires. It is simply…well, bad luck is a poor choice of words but they do fit. It is simply bad luck that your intended has the charisma to hold his attention the most. Otherwise I do not doubt more of you would have been taken as well.”

And that made something snarl inside Yusuke’s heart, earning him an amused laugh from Goemon. “I look forward to when the two of you settle your feelings for each other. You will then realize that possessive jealousy is not necessary.”

“I am _not_ being possessive, or jealous,” Yusuke grumbled quietly, glaring through his hair as Goemon patted his back with another chuckle.

“Back to the topic at hand however. Does understanding that key difference help you see where and how you should focus your rage?”

Yusuke took several meditative breaths as he reviewed the conversation, nodding once he felt the ice he’d surrounded his rage with melt away. “My anger should be directed to the Shadow, not Mishima, and not in such a substantial amount. He is not a criminal like our abusers and Kaneshiro. He has not earned that sort of anger, regardless of my dislike.”

“Good,” Goemon praised simply before sighing. “Now for the other issue. Your intended’s absence causes you pain because you blame yourself. I will be blunt: you are not at fault. With the Shadow’s fixation on Arséne’s wielder, I doubt anything would have happened differently if you had reached his side before being engulfed. Rather than allow that pain to continue, remind yourself that not only are you going to fight to get him back, but that he is far from helpless himself. Even if he does not manage to escape on his own, Arséne will not let any harm come to him. They are a formidable pair.”

“They are,” Yusuke murmured in agreement, remembering all the tandem acrobatics and attacks the pair could execute flawlessly. “And Akira has at least three Shadows he can call on if other abilities are needed.” The reminders helped dull his worry, though it still hovered on the edge of his mind like a razor blade.

“Hold on to that knowledge. It will keep you clear-minded,” Goemon instructed before standing and retrieving a pair of bottles and a glass of water from the connected bathroom.

Seeing what his Persona had fetched made Yusuke groan a little. One bottle was a vitamin supplement Akira and Ann had teamed up to make sure he took to try and help make up for his poor dietary habits. The other bottle was migraine medication. “I am going to have an exhaustion headache in the morning I suppose…”

“Most likely. And you neglected to take the vitamins before school,” Goemon answered while handing everything over. “You will likely black out when I dismiss myself, so take those now and prepare for bed.”

Doing as suggested, Yusuke took the pills and simply stripped down to his boxers, not overly caring at the moment to dig out sleeping clothes. Making sure to set his alarm, Yusuke settled down in bed before addressing his Persona again.

“I am ready. Goodnight, Goemon, and thank you. I know I can be difficult to deal with.”

“It is no trouble, young one. If it were we would not have a bond,” Goemon murmured, shifting Yusuke’s hair back in a gesture so parental it made the artist smile. “Until tomorrow, young one.”

Just as Goemon predicted, the moment he vanished from physical existence, Yusuke’s head spun and blackness swept him under in seconds.

…-…-…-…-…

 **Ann:** Guys, I got the last keyword.

That was the text Yusuke woke to after a midday nap. He’d had a severe exhaustion headache that morning, and pleaded to his homeroom teacher for a sick day. Thankfully, he’d apparently looked bad enough that she had agreed without too much trouble. After getting breakfast from the campus store, Yusuke had returned to his dorm to try and find something constructive to do. Re-reading the texts from last night, and seeing that Ryuji hadn’t had any ideas in his morning replies, Yusuke had decided a long shower and a nap would be the best things he could do. His hope was that it would refresh him enough that he’d be able to handle a Metaverse trip if they managed to access the Palace that day.

Judging by Ann’s text and his greatly diminished headache, he’d made the right choice.

 **Makoto:** Okay, then you and Ryuji go to Leblanc after school to set up Akira’s cover with his guardian.

 **Makoto:** After that we’ll meet at the hideout.

 **Ryuji:** Got it.

 **Ann:** Okay.

 **Yusuke:** Understood.

Checking to make sure he had train fare for the day, Yusuke reset his alarm and settled in to continue his nap. The better rested he was, the better he’d perform in the Metaverse after all.

…-…-…-…-…

“So, what’s the keyword?” Ryuji asked, fidgeting and shuffling like he’d had far too much carbonated sugar that day. For once, Yusuke couldn’t be annoyed by it, since he was on edge himself.

Ann shifted uncomfortably under their questioning looks, sighing as she played with a strand of her hair. “It’s…kind of sad actually. I made up some story that all the changes of heart and Kamoshida’s confession got me wondering what people see people and places as. I told him I saw the school like a prison but my best friend like home.”

“Not like that’s far from the truth, right?” Ann blushed but nodded to Ryuji’s comment, taking a breath before continuing.

“Then I asked him if he had someone he saw as special or a place he felt he belonged.”

“That, sounds a little suggestive phrased like that,” Makoto offered up, making Ann blush harder.

“I wasn’t thinking about the phrasing! Besides, he didn’t take it that way!”

“I should think not, considering you just told him your best friend was like home to you,” Yusuke stated, offended on her behalf which earned him a sunny smile.

“Thank you!” Ann’s expression then dropped. “He didn’t name the Phan-site specifically, but he said the forum he made was the one place he felt was his. That it was like his hideout, base, and whole world all at once.”

“And…which one is the keyword?” The question was asked by Morgana, who was clearly uneasy.

“…His world.”

Thinking over the implications of that, Yusuke felt concern creep up his spine. “Realistically speaking, what could that mean for his Palace?”

“Hypothetically, and based on what Kaneshiro’s was like since he viewed all of Shibuya as part of his Palace,” Makoto started hesitantly, “…Mishima’s Palace could end up being, on the whole, even bigger than Kaneshiro’s.”

“…Hey, that note we got from the doc only lasts a week, right?” Ryuji asked, clearly antsy. “What do we do if we can’t explore the Palace in a week ‘cause it’s too big…?”

“W-We can’t doubt ourselves before we even get started,” Morgana insisted, fur puffing up defensively. “Akira’s counting on us! We just need to focus on getting our leader back, and worry about something like that after we at least try infiltrating the Palace.”

Yusuke nodded definitively to that, eyes burning with determination as he rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. “Agreed. Let us go now, and we can talk about this more when we see what the Palace looks like.”

“Right.” Makoto pulled out her phone to activate the MetaNav. “Yuuki Mishima, the Phantom Aficionado Website, his world.”

“Candidate found, beginning navigation.”

The familiar feeling of floating through thick water washed over them all, the world around them bending and rippling in shades of black and red until everything cleared to a shocking sight.

“Wha…What the eff is with this place?!”

Fox scanned everything in sight intently, feeling very out of his depth at the obviously tech-oriented scenery. The floor was completely obscured by swirling white fog and black smoke, though a couple taps of his feet gave him the impression of walking on marble flooring like in a museum. There were no walls that could be clearly discerned, just open space dominated by bright white, moving code lines on a dark blue background. Banners of the familiar logo, Fox’s own work, hung suspended at various heights and distances, the bright ruby drawing attention no matter where he looked. They almost completely distracted him from the doors.

At least, Fox assumed they were doors, but he could be mistaken considering how much they looked like smartphones. There were four at ground level, silver-bordered and lit up with full-length digital displays. Three of them showed a black background with a white padlock in the locked position. The fourth showed a swipe screen, the Phantom Thieves logo burning red against a pale blue static background. Aside from these four, Fox could see eight others suspended at various elevations, color-coded in pairs: red and white, green, steel, and bright gold.

To cap it all off, there didn’t appear to be a ceiling, but the space seemed to meld into a depiction of the night sky, a pale white gibbous moon dominating the scene.

“All the moving white lines are making my eyes hurt,” Panther commented with a wince, drawing Fox’s attention to her and making him take note that they weren’t in their thief attire.

“I suppose we should have expected a tech-themed Palace, considering the website is the basis for his Palace,” Queen mused, also wincing as she looked around. “Though I would’ve thought it would be green, since that’s the primary color in coding. It might have been easier on the eyes at least.”

“More importantly, it appears we are not considered a threat,” Fox pointed out, a scowl settling on his face. “Quite the change considering he was expecting a fight from us last night.”

“…Maybe the fact he was able to capture Joker is making him underestimate us now?” Mona suggested, the only one in his thief appearance. “Anyway, we should get to work. Hanging around here won’t help us get Joker back. We just need to be very careful until you all change to your thief outfits.”

There were nods all around at that before Skull gestured to the life-size smartphones. “So, whaddya think’s up with these?”

“I assumed they could be doors,” the artist offered while the group approached the one without a lock depicted.

“Well, this one’s a swipe screen,” Panther started, clearly withholding the urge to test it.

A shame Skull did not possess her restraint. “Might as well try it,” the blond said casually before reaching out and swiping across the screen. He paid for that as the door let out an energy spike that threw Skull away from it, Queen reflexively stepping out of the way to avoid a collision and the boy landing hard on the ground. “OW!”

“Access denied. Confidant level too low.”

Scowling at the screen, Skull struggled back to his feet. “The eff does that mean?!”

Queen scrutinized the door while she mused aloud. “Well, a confidant is generally a friend you feel comfortable with, someone you can share secrets with, that sort of thing.” She then looked at Skull with confusion. “You and Joker are around him the most though. Does he not talk to you?”

“Unless it involves one of Skull’s stupid ideas, all Mishima talks about is the site and us,” Mona answered first, getting a growl from Skull.

“Shuddup, Cat, my ideas aren’t all stupid!” The blond did follow this up with a heavy sigh though. “But you’re right that Mishima doesn’t really talk about anything but the Phantom Thieves.”

“Does this mean…we need to find someone Mishima would consider a confidant?” Fox was feeling more and more distressed as he thought about it. Not even two steps into the Palace and they were being blocked from proceeding. _Do we even have time to look for someone Mishima would trust as a confidant? How would we even convince them to help us, let alone come here?_

“…I dunno…Carmen thinks it might be simpler than that,” Panther said hesitantly, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Could you explain?” Fox requested, getting a nod from blonde girl.

“Well, Carmen thinks that maybe we aren’t viewed as threat…because not only does the real Mishima-kun know that Joker’s taken a leave of absence…but I approached him and talked to him about something personal that, on my end, didn’t seem to have anything to do with the Phantom Thieves,” Panther explained, her pauses indicating she was listening to Carmen. “She thinks that might be enough to meet the door’s…phone’s…Confidant requirement.”

“…I…guess that’s worth a try,” Queen agreed with concern. “Still, we’ll be ready to catch you if it shoves you back like it did Skull.”

Panther’s nod in response was a little stuttered, but she took a calming breath before stepping forward. Setting her fingers against the screen, the blonde swiped them across the screen as quickly as if she were swinging her whip, causing everyone to reflexively tense.

“Access granted.”

While the borders of the phone-door remained, the screen itself dematerialized in a waterfall of white code lines, revealing a hallway of dark wood, rust-red carpet, and creme accents.

“It opened! Great job, Panther!” Mona cheered, reflecting the relief Fox felt as well.

But the artist noted the way Panther’s expression descended into unease, inquiring, “Panther? Something wrong?”

“…I dunno…I just feel a little…sad, I guess. I mean, today was one of the only times I’ve talked to Mishima-kun. But it was enough for him to consider me a closer friend than Skull?…He must be lonelier than I thought…”

The observation hung heavy over them all, even for Fox, who would much rather wait to feel bad for the mousy teen until after they stole his Treasure and retrieved Joker. Thankfully, Queen seemed to think along the same lines as himself, as she spoke firmly while setting a hand on Panther’s shoulder.

“It’s something we can try to work on after his change of heart. Let’s start the infiltration for now. Getting Joker back takes a higher priority.”

“Right,” Panther agreed, taking the initiative to step through to the new area.

It was only once everyone had entered after her that the phone-door spoke again. “Welcome to the Councilor’s Hall Forum. All councilors are seeing other appointments at this time. Feel free to make your way to the library or ponder the words of encouragement posted along the halls while you wait for the next available councilor.”

The phone-door then dematerialized into the white code lines, leaving behind a blank wall, making everyone jump with surprise.

“Seriously?! So we’ve got obnoxious talking doors and we can’t get back to where we came in?!” Skull raged, kicking at the wall in his frustration only to get scolded by Mona.

“We’re all annoyed, but don’t go kicking the wall! It might attract Shadows, and until you guys change into your Metaverse forms, I’m the only one who can fight!”

While the blond hung his head with a grumble, Fox turned his attention to the hall itself. The color-scheme wasn’t the worst, though _he_ certainly wouldn’t have chosen rust as the primary color, and it made the stark white posters dotting the walls pop out. Curious, Fox moved to the nearest one on the right side of the hall and read it aloud.

“ _‘You can always strive to be better, to bring pride to your family’_.” Something about the words felt off to the artist. “Would this really count as encouragement, as the ph–door said?”

The others wandered over to join him, reading the poster themselves. Queen was frowning at the words much like Fox was. “It sounds a little condescending to me, but I guess some people would find encouragement in it.”

“Hey, there’s another one,” Skull observed, moving across the hall. “ _‘Work hard, a lack of reward or praise is meaningless’_.” His face scrunched up. “This one’s weird too. I mean, I kinda get it’s sayin’ you should work hard no matter what, but it just sounds…like an order.”

“…Let’s, just keep moving. These posters are weirding me out,” Panther murmured.

Everyone agreed, slowly making their way down the hall while listening for any approaching Shadows. Within a minute they came to an intersection, a pair of plain wood side tables flanking the entrance into the intersection, each topped with a statuette.

“Hey, isn’t this our logo? Didn’t think that could be made into a statue,” Skull commented, peering at the left one in curiosity.

“Hm, Joker would probably check them for loot if he was here,” Mona mused before leaping up to snatch the right one. It turned to golden dust in his paws, dissolving away to reveal a worn phone charger cable. “Huh, not what I was hoping for but still sellable.”

“Then the other one probably doesn’t have anything. That’s usually the pattern in Palaces,” Panther pointed out reasonably before snatching the left one up anyway. It turned to dull grey sand, making her pout. “Darn it, would’ve been nice to be wrong that time.”

Fox pat her shoulder with a sympathetic chuckle. “There will be more, no doubt. Shall we continue on? I see a door ahead of us.”

And it was true. Just ahead of the group was a nondescript wooden door in the center of the two-way intersection. However, Mona glanced down the left hall and jumped with excitement. “Wait a second! I see a treasure chest!”

“There’s one down the other side too!” Queen directed, almost as excited as their feline friend.

Unfortunately, an examination of both chests brought their spirits back down sharply. Both were locked, and as Joker carried the group’s tools, they couldn’t open the shimmering silver chests. “Note to self, we each need to carry infiltration tools in case someone happens to be absent,” Queen muttered to herself, upset for not suggesting that long before now.

“Perhaps not just the tools. Joker generally carries all of our items,” Fox recalled with a wince. “Sometimes I wonder how he manages that…”

“We all have that ability to tuck things into a mental space here in the Metaverse. I make Joker carry a canvas bag in his school bag that our loot automatically transfers into when we leave,” Mona reminded them, “As for everything else, well, Arséne and Zorro keep it in their own mental spaces so Joker’s not forced to hold on to everything in the Real World. We just transfer it all to them whenever we come to the Metaverse. I have our recovery stock and all the maps and leftover key items we’ve gathered from the Palaces, but Joker had all the infiltration tools, skill cards, and battle items.”

Queen sunk her head into her hands with a groan. “Thank goodness for that at least. I completely forgot to think about gathering items for healing and energy recovery before we came here…”

“Well, Joker does all of the shopping for us…” Skull rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Guess it’s not surprising we forgot.”

“But he also carries our team funds,” Mona reminded them again. “Sure, everyone gets a cut of the money we gather in the Palaces, but the majority of our income comes from loot selling, which Joker dedicates solely to the team fund for equipment and recovery stock. Those aren’t cheap, definitely not cheap enough for you guys to cover with your personal cuts. So in the end it wouldn’t have mattered if you remembered, Queen. So don’t worry about it.”

“Yes, this is something we will remedy once we have Joker back,” Fox agreed before musing. “I have always wondered what a typical equipment run was like. Perhaps we should all go with him the next time Joker goes.”

“Sounds like fun!” Panther cheered before motioning to the neglected door. “So, who wants the honors?”

“Let me go first, just incase there’s Shadows,” Mona insisted before opening the door and peaking in. “This must be the library the door told us about… I don’t see or sense any Shadows…”

Cautiously, the group moved into the library traveling all the way to the middle of the room before relaxing as nothing spawned.

“Man, I kinda _want_ Mishima to be scared of us just so we could change,” Skull complained, stretching in place a little. “I keep gettin’ tense ‘cause I don’t have my hammer in case a fight happens.”

“I wish I had summoned Carmen so I could burn those posters,” Panther added, irritation growing on her face. “I mean, the ones in the first hall were weird but the ones leading to the chests just made me angry! _‘Your betters always know best’_? _‘Always strive to be smarter than your current stupidity’_? How are those supposed to be _encouraging_?!”

“Wait, _that’s_ what they said? I was ignoring them since the first ones were unsettling,” Queen started incredulously.

Fox felt just as outraged. “I was ignoring them as well. Is their writer trying to be satirical and simply failing?”

“That second one could be someone tryin’ t’ be funny, like a meme or somethin’. But thinkin’ about that first one and the other two… Reminds me of some of the shit Kamoshida and the guidance councilor used to say t’ me” Skull grumbled, eyes sharp with remembrance.

“But why would Mishima want posters like that hanging around? Why call them encouragement?” Queen wondered, glancing back toward the door to the trio of halls.

Mona crossed his arms, pondering. “It’s hard to say. Remember, Mishima isn’t a criminal like our last three targets. On top of that, his Palace is newly formed. Everything here forms and changes based on his cognition. So…maybe those are things he’s heard recently that made an impact on him.”

“…Maybe one of these books can tell us,” Panther suggested. “As much as I hate remembering that disgusting place, Kamoshida’s Palace had a library that was all about him and his views. Maybe this is Mishima-kun’s personal library?”

Everyone glanced at the various shelves and collectively grimaced. “That’s…a lot of books to look through, without Joker’s senses to help us,” Queen murmured.

Skull hung his head and sighed. “Let’s just…look at the titles and pull the ones we think’ll help.”

In agreement, the group dispersed around the room, Fox wandering over to the wall directly across from the entrance. Between two bookcases was another statuette, but in front of it was a dull brass plaque the artist decided to examine first.

 _Familial Records? For that many books he must either have an extensive family or has researched past relatives quite a bit_ , he considered silently while checking the statuette for loot. It dissolved to reveal a small string of hematite beads, the color and shine not too far from the shade of Joker’s eyes. _Everything is going to remind me of him_ , Fox lamented, tucking the strand into a pocket.

“Hey, the distortion’s low he–“

“Holy shit!”

Everyone jumped as Skull’s shout interrupted Mona’s call, combat stances immediately employed out of habit as they searched for whatever had disturbed the blond. Multiple sighs were made as they saw him standing perfectly fine with a book open in his hand. Making their way over to him, Panther reached him first and slapped him upside the head.

“OW!”

“You idiot! Was the shouting necessary? We thought it was an attack!”

“I’m sorry, seriously! It’s just…did you know Mishima’s been to the hospital over fifty times since he was seven?”

That morphed the group’s annoyance into surprise, Queen voicing it. “I know he received a lot of injuries when Kamoshida was coaching, but…since he was seven? That sounds like either illness or abuse.”

“That’s why I shouted,” Skull confirmed, flipping through the book. “Some of the info in here looks weird. Like here!” The blond pointed at a page and flattened the book in his palm so they could see. “It says his grades in elementary school were all average, but he was labelled special needs.”

“That _is_ odd,” Fox agreed, checking the passage thoroughly himself to make sure they weren’t misunderstanding the information. “It says at the bottom his mother insisted on the designation. But why would–“

“Attention. The Youth Councilor is now available for consultation.”

Everyone blinked in shock and looked around as the voice from the phone-door rang through the room. The moment the voice stopped speaking, blue-fire blazed around each of them as the familiar sensation of shifting to their thief forms finally occurred, power rushing through their bodies freely now that they were unrestrained from their Real World forms. Once the flames cleared away, everyone exchanged confused looks.

“…That’s an odd moment for the shift to happen,” Queen remarked with suspicion.

“I sense a strong Shadow not far from us. It must have happened in response to that,” Mona informed, eyes narrowing with determination. “Let’s investigate. We might find information on where Joker’s being kept!”

That was all the incentive they needed to hurry out the door, Skull tucking the book into his mental space for later. Stepping back out into the intersection, their destination was obvious. Down the hallway they entered from, on the wall Fox had read the first poster, was a door stained a deep red that had definitely not been there before. As one, the group silently approached the door, Mona opening it and letting them troop inside.

Fox personally hated the room on sight. The room itself was shaped like a quarter circle, the curved part of the wall almost entirely windows that looked out into a dense smoke. The carpet was a pattern of overlapping red and indigo rings, clashing with the multi-colored plastic sitting sets along the wall to the left. A large desk was set back in the middle of the curving windows, a pair of large chairs and one tiny, rickety stool set in front of it. Leaning against the edge of the desk was a plain-featured woman wearing a sultry smirk.

“My, my. I wasn’t expecting the Phantom Thieves to visit me! Did Lord Mishima send you to me? I imagine he’s given you orders by now if you’re here.”

“Orders?” Fox murmured with disgust, remembering his feelings about how Mishima seemed to believe he owned them.

“Nope. We were just in the library and found somethin’ to read,” Skull drawled, retrieving the book in question, which made the woman look at them with sharp eyes.

“Oh, I see. So that’s why I was summoned. Naughty, naughty, reading about poor Lord Mishima’s personal history.”

Panther elbowed Skull hard before speaking. “Er, we’re really sorry about that, but the information was confusing. Like, why would his mom have him labelled as a special needs child just because he made average grades?”

“Oh that? His mother and father were both gifted students and went on to have successful careers. They simply placed their expectations far too high, and when Lord Mishima didn’t meet them his mother reacted poorly,” the disguised Shadow explained with a shrug. “It wasn’t the worst thing to happen, and the label was redacted once he passed his high school entrance exams, so it no longer bothers him.”

“But the abuse might, thanks to that bastard Kamoshida,” Skull said bluntly, earning another elbow from Panther.

“Hm,” the Shadow casually pushed off the desk. “I wonder, does Lord Mishima even know you’re here? Or…” Those eyes became impish, smirk sharpening to something deadly. “Did you sneak in here to steal Lord Mishima’s lovely new Treasure?”

Fox couldn’t help the way an aura of winter cold surrounded him, the air closest to him beginning to fog over. He also couldn’t help but rise to the bait. “We are here for our leader, not just some trinket.”

“Mmhm, Lord Mishima won’t like that, not in the least,” the Shadow purred. “You might not want to push your luck. He might just lose his temper a~a~and he has a perfectly vulnerable target.”

Mona, who had glared at Fox for his impulsiveness, hissed at the Shadow. “A Palace Ruler wouldn’t go to the trouble of kidnapping something they want just to damage it.”

The Shadow laughed. “Anything is possible here! The lines between abuse and love are blurred, between pain and pleasure insignificant!” She spread her arms in invitation. “All that matters here is Lord Mishima’s desires, and frankly he could make your dear leader a broken sex slave if he so wanted.”

That was the last straw for Fox, and he launched forward with his katana singing as it was pulled from the sheath. He scored a direct hit but had to jump back as the Shadow burst into ichor and reformed into its true form: a Succubus type. It spun backward a little, snapping its fingers to summon two Ooze type minions, these black as crude oil.

“Hm, lovely to the eyes, strong, and protective. No wonder Lord Mishima dislikes you in particular,” the Succubus teased.

“He harms Joker and I will give him _reason_ to loathe me,” Fox snarled lowly, barely acknowledging Queen, Mona, and Panther rushing forward to join him on the front lines. Though, he did take notice when Mona slapped him with a paper fan, forcing his rage to simmer lower.

“Damn it, Fox! Let Skull be the impulsive one!” Mona growled before settling into a combat stance. “And you! You’re going to tell us where Mishima’s keeping Joker or we’ll send you straight to hell!”

“Oh, _will_ you? Let’s get started and find out, shall we?” The Succubus purred.

…-… **Omake: Hidden Room** …-…

Shadow Mishima hummed to himself as he strolled into his star’s room, motioning for his companion to stay outside. He approached the barred bed and opened part of the curtains, smiling as he realized the occupants were asleep.

“Good, good. Resting now means you’ll be good for your next assignment,” the Shadow hummed to himself before reaching through the bars, intending to caress that fluffy-looking hair.

Though its eyes never opened, the Persona curled around his star growled menacingly and lashed at him with those knife-like claws. Shadow Mishima snatched his hand back, just managing to get away with only a small scratch over his knuckles. Glancing from his hand to the Persona, the Shadow watched as the Persona curled around his star a little more, the wing acting as a blanket shifting to cover the teen from view. And not once did the Persona come out of its sleep.

Rather than be upset, Shadow Mishima laughed. “I suppose you weren’t kidding when you said you wouldn’t let me lay one hand on him. But it’s good to see you have such good reflexes! My star will definitely succeed in anything I want with such a strong Persona with him.”

An approximation of a sweet smile crossed the Shadow’s face. “You both just keep resting. Once this place is fortified I’ll be able to take my time to get you used to me.”

“Lord Mishima, we’ve picked up a minor alert from the Councilor’s Hall.”

Sighing, the Shadow bid the sleeping pair goodbye and returned to the still open entrance. “If it’s minor than we probably don’t need to bother with it. But I’ll go redirect some of the Security that direction. Come, let my star rest.”

Shadow Mishima strode off, but his companion lingered for a moment, just looking at the captive pair with the faintest envy before making sure the door would close as he followed silently after his lord. “So lucky…”


	3. Waning Phase: Gibbous Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Thoughts are italicized  
> -A reminder, I have taken a lot of liberties with Mishima's past since we have no in-game confirmations  
> -Another reminder: F*** GAME-MECHANICS  
> -I don't own any of the references made in this work. Cookies and kudos to those who can recognize them all though!  
> -Maps included, please let me know if they aren't visible

“He harms Joker and I will give him _reason_ to loathe me.”

Mona would never admit it, but Fox scared him sometimes. Most of the time it was the artist’s sheer fixation on art, to the point of neglecting anything else, that scared Mona. How long would it be before the artist neglected his guard and was killed in battle? How long would it be until Fox accidentally starved himself to death because he put his art before taking care of himself? These were sadly regular questions that ran through Mona’s mind, mostly because his apprentice and pseudo-caretaker spent every moment he could spare with the artist.

Oh yes, he knew all about Joker’s feelings for Fox, hard not to when the cat lived with the teen. Mona would _also_ never admit he found it endearing that Joker felt so strongly for the oblivious artist –plus it meant the teen wasn’t after his precious Lady Ann, _and_ he had better taste than to fall for a certain blond monkey. It did make him worry though, because he knew it would hurt Joker badly if anything happened to the taller teen. Which is the primary reason those infernal questions constantly plagued him.

But now, he had another reason be scared when it came to Fox: his anger when pushed too far.

Mona hadn’t thought he’d ever hear this particular deep rage from Fox again since Madarame was dealt with. If he didn’t know Fox had awakened to a Persona, Mona was positive the teen would be shifting into whatever Shadow type suited him right that second. As it stood, Mona was trying not to shiver as he breached the ice-cold energy winding around Fox so he could slap him with a Harisen Fan, hoping it would dampen some of that rage.

_Guess I can stop wondering if he has any feelings for Joker, that reaction says it all. Still, he needs to calm down before he gets killed!_

“Damn it, Fox! Let Skull be the impulsive one!” Mona struggled to keep a scolding expression when those normally tranquil eyes turned to him, even with Zorro murmuring a reminder that his teammate would not hurt him. They were heavily flecked with gold and slit like an animal, showing just how close Fox was to losing it. Unable to maintain eye contact, Mona turned his attention to the Shadow that had caused that rage, distantly noting how the room distorted into a proper battlefield around them all. “And you! You’re going to tell us where Mishima’s keeping Joker or we’ll send you straight to hell!”

_Or at least, Fox will._

“Oh, _will_ you? Let’s get started and find out, shall we?” Mona couldn’t help but be offended at how the Succubus-type purred the taunt out.

“Fine, let’s!”

…-…-…-…-…

“I think I’ll let my minions start things off.” The Succubus gestured at the two Ooze-like creatures that had come to her aid, the one on the right immediately calling on a wind that swept the entire battlefield with the putrid scent of rot and mildew.

“Stagnant Air! Watch out for ailments everyone,” Queen called out before Johanna appeared at her side, leaping astride the motorcycle Persona. “Try this!”

Flash Bomb connected with all three enemies, but while both of the Black Oozes shifted back and began wavering in place with dizziness, the Succubus dodged easily. The left Black Ooze attempted to retaliate throwing purple streaks of ailment energy at Fox –a Fear ailment, from the faint sound of screams emanating from the energy–, but missed by a ridiculous margin.

“Zorro, show your might!” Mona dashed to the left as he called on his Persona, blasting a Magaru spell at all three enemies.

The two Black Oozes, comically, were blown backward, while the Succubus simply spun in the air with only a slight flinch. “O~o~oh, such a cute little breeze~!”

“She’s resistant to wind, and all of them resist physical attacks,” Queen deduced, calling it out for her team. “Try freezing her, Fox!”

“Oh I don’t think so!” The Succubus, in a show of speed, dived in front of Fox and slapped him hard before retreating back past her recovering minions. “It isn’t nice to be cold to a lady, after all~!”

“Ah, shit, like Fox wasn’t pissed enough,” Skull groaned for the party as a thin red aura encased Fox, signaling that he’d fallen under the Rage ailment from Hysterical Slap.

Fox dashed straight at the Succubus, and while she just barely managed to evade, he did successfully strike one of the Black Oozes en route. Resistance or not, it couldn’t stand up to Fox’s Rage-induced strength, and disintegrated into Shadow energy.

“Now that’s just rude!” The Succubus tutted before a snap of her fingers called up another Black Ooze.

“Queen, behind you!” Queen leaped out of the way of the other, still dizzy, Black Ooze that had tried to attack her while she was observing Fox’s attack, mentally thanking Skull for the yell. Growling at its nerve, she retaliated instantly by calling on Johanna and blasting it point blank with Freila. The critical hit let her follow up with a punishing drop kick, taking it out.

During those few seconds, Mona had blown the new Black Ooze out of the way with Garula, allowing Panther to attempt to deep fry the Succubus with Agilao. Much to everyone’s annoyance, the Succubus absorbed the flames, drinking it in and giggling as the minor damage Mona had caused before healed.

“Oh, I like that! Give me more, sweetie~!”

On the plus side, she was distracted long enough for the still enraged Fox to land a solid blow on her, tattering one of her wings ever so slightly and getting a scowl out of her. “Really, you’re quite rude, pretty boy!”

She swiped a hand across her body and Psychic energy slammed into each of the active fighters, forcing them back several steps and flat out knocking Queen off of Johanna. With a smirk, the Succubus followed that up by summoning another Black Ooze. “Much better~!”

“C’mon, guys! Try somethin’ else or switch me in!” Skull shouted from his spot near the back of the battlefield, saving up his stamina so someone would be fresh.

Queen growled as she retook her feet, leaping back on Johanna. “Stay put, Skull! We aren’t done yet! Mafreila!” The Succubus did wince a little under the blast of Nuclear power but was much less hurt than the Black Oozes. “Okay, she resists Nuclear power, but it affects the Oozes normally. Mona! Try knocking her down! Panther, try confusing them all!”

“Weaken that cat!” The Succubus ordered one of the Black Oozes, who managed to get off a Matarunda before Mona could close in on her with Lucky Punch. The loss of strength, making it just slightly harder to carry their weapons, made Mona miss and allowed the Succubus to send him backward with Psio.

Panther, after glancing to Queen in question, continued with the order to try and confuse the enemies. Both Oozes were caught but the Succubus just tittered, having been missed entirely. “Now, how should I punish you for confusing my little minions? How about this?!”

She swung around mid-air, her tail lengthening significantly and smacking all of them hard, even catching Fox mid-attack and flinging him back. Queen cursed as she noticed Panther curl in on herself and look around with bewilderment. “Shoot, I think Panther got hit with Forget! Mona! Get a heal off! Mafreila!”

“Roger that! Mediarama!”

Nuclear power and healing energy cyclone-ed through the air, successfully wiping out one of the Oozes –which had dropped a nice pile of money while staggering around in confusion– while the Thieves were rejuvenated. Much to Queen’s relief, Fox took that moment to come out of his heavy rage to call on Goemon and launch a powered up Mabufula through the room. It didn’t hurt the remaining Black Ooze much, but it did a normal amount of damage to the Succubus and successfully froze her.

“Nice one, Fox!” Skull cheered.

“Mona! Get rid of Panther’s ailment! Fox, keep blasting her with ice!” Queen ordered while slamming the remaining Black Ooze with Freila.

Fox managed to use Bufula twice before the Succubus over-powered her frozen state, plenty of time for Mona to use Me Patra on Panther and then follow up with Media to make sure everyone was well healed from any damage that had been taken so far.

“You brats are starting to annoy me,” the Succubus growled, snapping her fingers twice to summon two more Black Oozes and flying backward behind them to keep out of range of the Thieves.

“Queen, Panther, concentrate on the oozes! Mona, shoot her!” Fox snapped out before Queen could suggest a tactic, switching to his assault rifle as he sped toward the enemies.

Deciding to go with the plan, Queen launched another Mafreila while Panther fired off Agilao twice in order to avoid healing the Succubus. Mona, using one of the Black Oozes as a springboard right before they were hit by the girls’ onslaught, pulled his slingshot from his mental space and fired off three quick shots at the Succubus. She dodged the first two shots, but the third not only hit her square in the throat, but knocked her flat with notable damage.

“She’s weak to gunfire!” Mona cheered, Fox grinning viciously at the discovery as he took aim himself.

“Then prepare for a Hold Up! Queen, finish off those oozes!”

Queen didn’t need to be told twice, destroying the Oozes with one more Mafreila while Panther rushed forward to join the guys. Two good shots from Fox as the Succubus tried to get up put her wings out of commission and allowed the Thieves to surround her.

“Here’s your first chance, lady! Tell us where Joker is!” Panther demanded, only for the Succubus to flip her off.

“Go back to the whorehouse, sweetie. I’ll tell you nothing!”

“All-Out Attack!” Panther snapped, Fox obliging with his teeth barred in a growl.

The four swarmed over the Succubus like a pack of wolves, landing blow after blow until she collapsed to the ground with a scream. “ENOUGH! Okay, enough! I give!”

They backed off a little, still surrounding her as she struggled to her knees. “Then let’s try this again. _Where is Joker?_ ” Mona hissed.

“Lord Mishima…covets your pretty leader,” the Succubus began, breathing heavily and curling in on herself a bit. “So, he keeps him…in the most secluded area…of this Palace. Close to himself.”

“We could’ve guessed that on our own. We want specifics,” Queen said curtly. “How do we get to the heart of this Palace?”

“There are…four primary levels to this Palace. Each divided into two wings. From this wing forward…you will need numerical passcodes…to every door that leads to a wing. And…” The Succubus paused before smiling up at them cruelly. “And that’s quite enough!” She cast a Diarama spell as she leaped high in the air, immediately following that up with her tail-based Memory Blow.

“Indeed, I have had more than enough of you!” Fox snarled as he ducked the blow, swinging his assault rifle up to shoot her.

The first hit sunk into her shoulder, bringing her back down to the ground. The next five shots were to keep her grounded. He then marched up and slammed a boot on to her shoulder to pin her down, heel digging into the bullet wound as he leveled his rifle at her head. “This is your last chance. Tell us everything you know, _now_.”

“Th-That’s all I know! He’s being k-kept in Lord Mishima’s inner, personal ch-chambers! I-I haven’t been there myself, b-but I know it’s the highest level of the P-Palace!” The Succubus scrabbled at the boot digging into her shoulder wound, writhing in agony and fear from his hellish golden gaze. “I swear! Th-That’s all I know! Lord Mishima doesn’t let anyone but his p-personal guards near that area!”

“Oh? Then how do you seem to know enough about Joker to make comments about him?” Fox growled lowly.

“Sh-Shadows socialize too! Anyone traversing M-Mementos and has seen you Thieves but lived t-to talk about it! They warn others wh-what you all look like! A-And even if they didn’t, the guards t-talked about him!”

“I see. And you are certain that is all you know?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Fine.” With that, Fox fired off a single headshot, and the Succubus disintegrated into Shadow energy.

Fox’s rifle disappeared back into his mental space as the battlefield began to change again, a pouch of money and a small notepad appearing where the Succubus had been. Fox scooped those up before turning his attention to his friends, who were all watching him in surprise.

“Wow, I…don’t think I’ve ever seen you react so viciously, Fox,” Queen commented, concern creasing her expression.

“I…apologize. I have not been taking Joker’s kidnapping well, and her comments and demeanor just…set me off,” Fox responded, taking deep breaths as his eyes slowly returned to normal. “I promise to try and do better in controlling my temper.”

“Forget that guys! What the heck happened to that office?!”

Skull’s exclamation got everyone to look at their surroundings, shock settling on their faces. Instead of the awful-looking office they had entered before the fight, they were now standing in a gloomy child’s nursery. The wall of windows was the only thing that stayed the same. The two walls were now adorned in dull, pale red wallpaper with several empty, wall-mounted shelves. Where the sitting sets had been now stood a knocked over crib that was so old it was nearly in pieces and a small futon covered by a plain moss-green quilt. The center of the room was scattered with various childhood learning materials, a single limp brown teddy bear sitting despondently in the middle of the ragged off-white carpet. In the far corner where the windows met the wall holding the door, was a faded green sitting set that held a tablet-like object, some scraps of paper, and a single framed picture.

“Is…is this a memory of Mishima-kun’s?” Panther asked hesitantly, blue eyes drawn to the only toy in the room in sorrow even as she went through the motions of collecting the loot dropped during the fight.

“This is almost as dreary as Joker’s attic was back in April,” Mona commented, approaching the sitting set quickly and examining the objects there. His ears went flat during his examination. “…These look like a kid’s diary entries. I think the photo is him and his parents. I have no idea what this thing is though.”

The teens approached, Queen kneeling down beside Mona to take a good look herself and picking up the photo. It depicted a fairly handsome man in a business suit with slicked back black hair and stern black eyes. Beside him was a very beautiful woman in pale violet scrubs, blue-black hair pulled into a pair of low buns, and her cold brown eyes narrowed in clear disappointment as she gazed down at the child in-between her and her husband. Mishima, and the short, messy hair made it obvious it was him, was standing closer to his father than his mother, hands gripping the edge of a plain yellow T-shirt and looking chastised. “…Mishima doesn’t look like he had a happy childhood, though I don’t think he was physically abused at least.”

“No, it seems the abuse was more mental,” Fox agreed, kneeling down to tap one of the scraps of paper. “These all say similar things. _‘Mom says I’m stupid.’ ‘Dad says they want the best for me.’ ‘Mom says I should be making A’s, not C’s and B’s.’_ Clearly the Shadow was not lying when she said the mother reacted poorly to Mishima’s average intelligence.”

“This is messed up. Did he ever get a chance to just be a kid?” Skull was still looking around the room, scowl evident on his face. “I mean, I get wanting your kid to be smart, but they gotta play too so they’re healthy. That’s what my mom always said, anyway…”

“I’m guessing not. That might be why he said he’d _‘embraced being a zero’_ , like he told Joker before,” Mona replied, grimacing. “His parents clearly didn’t think he was good enough, and he mentioned always being messed with. And then being labelled special needs when he shouldn’t have been… Honestly, that’s just asking for Mishima to snap eventually.”

Queen nodded absently, putting down the photo and instead picking up the tablet-like object. A tap on the power button lit up the screen, and she made a noise of surprise. “It’s a map! The first of four from the look of it, and it shows two wings, plus a transitioning hall between them. That lends credence to what the Shadow told us. Four levels, two wings each.”

“Any chance she could’ve been lyin’ about Joker being kept on the fourth level?” Skull asked, though he clearly doubted that himself.

“No. The next wing is labelled the Punishment Ward,” Queen refuted. “Unless Joker’s managed to really set Mishima off since he was taken, I doubt he’d be there.”

Mona jumped up to Queen’s shoulder so he could look at the map too, eyes narrowing as he examined it. “I agree with Queen. Joker isn’t likely to be there… But something about the layout of that wing looks weirdly familiar.”

“Maybe we should leave before you study it more,” Panther suggested uneasily, huddling in on herself slightly as she looked around the room. “I’m really getting creeped out the longer we stay here.”

“We may also be ambushed should we remain,” Fox sighed, retaking his feet.

“Good point. Let’s go back to the library. There was a safe room I was trying to point out before Skull found that book,” Mona informed, jumping down from his perch to hurry over to the door.

The moment the group exited back into the hallway, which had not changed, the door to the nursery vanished, the poster from when they first entered the wing reappearing in its place. Several scowls were directed at the poster, the words given new meaning with their new knowledge, before they departed for the library. The trip was very quick, considering there were still no Shadows patrolling the halls, and once inside Mona led them over to the door in the back corner of the eastern wall.

“Here it is,” Mona stated, leading them inside, which for some reason resembled a mini-version of Shujin’s library. “Okay, is it logged into the MetaNav?”

“Yes. We’ll be able to transport straight here should we need to leave the Palace and come back,” Queen confirmed with her phone before taking a seat at the center round table, setting the map-tablet out in front of her. “Okay, you were saying something about the Punishment Ward layout looking familiar, Mona?”

Mona leaped on to the table and examined the map more thoroughly this time, giving a hum of thought as he crossed his arms. “Yeah. Something about each area of the ward reminds me of something…” After several long moments, Mona clutched his head and whined. “Grr, I’m sure I’ve seen something like this before, but it’s just not coming to me! I bet Joker would’ve figured it out by now. His intuition’s always spot on…”

“…We’ll have to make due. I’m sure it will come to you eventually,” Queen tried to reassure the feline before turning to Fox. “Fox, that Shadow dropped a notepad, didn’t it?”

“Ah, yes, she did.” Fox handed the little pad over, face blank of any real expression and making Queen wince a little. Clearly Fox had determined that controlling his temper meant suppressing nearly all emotion entirely.

Turning her attention to the notepad, Queen flipped through it, finding that only the first couple pages were written on. “Hm. It seems to be just a couple memos. _'Left is desire, right is fear.' 'Code hint one, first day.' 'Avoid the Warden, run from the Reaper.' 'Security recruitment in progress.'_ ”

“Uh, okay. Anything actually useful in that?” Skull drawled, getting an elbow from Panther. “Ow! Seriously, enough with your bony elbows!”

“I think,” Queen interjected before a fight could start, tone sharp. “That we can infer a couple things. Security recruitment in progress is probably why we haven’t seen any patrolling Shadows yet. The Palace is too new for it to be crawling with Shadows like Kaneshiro’s was.”

“And Madarame’s,” Fox added, agreeing with the observation.

“The Shadow mentioned we would need numerical codes to progress, so that’s probably what the code hint is referring to,” the brunette continued. “Warden makes me think of a prison, so that memo might have something to do with the next wing. The only one I can’t think of anything for is the first one.”

“In other words, most of this is for once we’ve progressed a little more,” Mona concluded, getting an agreeing nod from Queen. “Then let’s discuss our next move. I haven’t seen any other doors and we haven’t heard that phone-door’s voice again yet. So, any suggestions?”

“Could you bring up this wing’s map, Queen?” Queen did as Panther asked, the blonde pointing at it as she spoke. “So, according to this, there should be another room back in that first hallway. And judging by this room to the south of the library, there might be a hidden passage behind a bookcase.”

“Mm, that’s true. And if we go by the normal pattern, that room in the first hall will probably hold an easier enemy than the one to the south,” Mona mused. “But how do we get access to that room?”

“Didn’t that Shadow say somethin’ weird when I showed her the book?” Skull pointed out, pulling out the book in question.

Panther snapped her fingers. “Oh yeah! Something about the reason she was summoned!”

“Hm, perhaps she and whoever occupies this other room are guardians of this library,” Fox suggested. “And whenever we find information Mishima would not want known, they are summoned to deal with the information breach.”

“That’s a reasonable possibility,” Mona agreed, jumping in place. “So, should we scour the library some more? If nothing else we might find the passage leading to this southern room.”

“Don’t think there’s much else we can do,” Skull mumbled before stretching and heading out of the safe room first, causing everyone to hurry after him. “So, I got this book off that wall,” he commented, waving at the same wall the safe room occupied.

“And if we assume each Shadow is guardian to different sets of information, the next book we need should be on a different set of shelves,” Queen inferred.

“Uh, before that, does anybody remember those mirrors being there before?” Panther asked, pointing toward the library entrance.

Sure enough, two mirrors now occupied the spaces to either side of the door, none of them sure when they appeared. Oddly enough, even though they were all directly across from the mirrors, there were no reflections on the surfaces. Unable to contain the curiosity, Skull strode straight up to the one on the right, examining it for maybe a second before he startled.

“The heck? Why do I look like I’m five again?”

Confused, the others approached as well, Mona getting there first and looking at the mirror himself before huffing. “What are you talking about? I don’t see a reflection at all! Let alone you looking five years old!”

“But, seriously! I’m seein’ me when I was five! That’s the last time I can remember actually wearin’ a Blue Bear shirt! …Uh, not that I actually watched that. My mom just liked gettin’ me cartoon shirts!” Skull’s face was turning an interesting shade of pink as he babbled, clashing horribly with his hair and neckerchief.

That got snickers from all the other teens, even Fox cracking a smirk. “Of course not.”

Skull grumbled, turning his attention back to the mirror, only to then freeze. “Wha? That’s…” His face then drained from pink to white under his mask, jaw dropping and actually making everyone look on in concern. “It…That…That’s not…HOLY SHIT!”

In a split second, Skull leapt backward and latched on to the nearest person, who happened to be Queen. He buried his face against her scarf, one hand flipping off the mirror as he practically shrieked. “EFF OFF, WELL BITCH! I ain’t gettin’ those nightmares again!!”

Everyone exchanged completely bewildered looks while Queen tried to dislodged the blond. “Uh, Skull? What are you talking about? Mona, do you see anything?”

“Nope, still no reflection at all. Seriously, Skull, what’s wrong with you?”

Skull peeked out from his hiding place, apparently immune to Queen’s attempts to remove him from her person for the moment. “Dude, how do you not see that well-crawlin’ creepy thing?! It just crawled offa the table and mauled me!!”

“Well-crawling…?” Panther tilted her head in realization. “Wait, are you talking about that old movie with the little girl that kills people through unmarked postcards? You watched that crap?”

The fear started to bleed out of Skull’s expression, replaced by indignation. “It’s not my fault my asshole dad left me alone to go drink and put that in to keep me busy! I had nightmares for months after that!”

That got him some sympathy, but Panther also looked a little doubtful. “Still, are you sure you’re not hallucinating? How would a mirror show something like that?” She strode in front of the mirror herself. “See? I don’t see you at–Hey! Why am I seven?!”

Mona hopped up and down, stars in his eyes. “Ooh, I want to see! Seriously why can’t I see a reflection in this thing?!”

“Hush a second, Mona!” Panther studied the mirror intently, paling a little bit over the next few seconds before she hopped back and pointed at the mirror as she yelled. “Screw you! I haven’t been scared of that in years!!”

“Scared of what?” Queen asked as she finally managed to shove Skull off of her, suspicion lighting on her features.

“Um…Well, you know how a lot of kids think things hide under their beds?” Panther asked, embarrassment making her face flush. “I kinda used to think this really creepy demon with skeleton wings, long spindly fingers, six eyes, and a shark mouth lived under my bed. Don’t remember why I started thinking about it, but I always told myself that as long as I stayed under the covers and had my stuffed panda, it wouldn’t be able to get me.”

“Hm, I wonder…” Queen stepped around Panther to stand in front of the mirror. Unlike the other two, she stayed completely silent, even when she paled a little. After a minute, she walked over to stand in front of the other mirror, again staying still and silent. This time, her eyes misted up a little, but her expression was one of longing before she took a deep breath and turned away from it. “I understand what that first memo meant now. I’m not sure why these appeared or when, but the one on the right shows fears while the one on the left shows desires. I think they’re based on our childhoods, because we pried into Mishima’s childhood information.”

“Perhaps that is why Mona is not seeing anything, as he has amnesia,” Fox mused quietly, gazing at the desire mirror for a long moment. “But, why are these here? What is their actual purpose?”

“Maybe the past bothers Mishima a lot?” Mona suggested. “Like, have you ever heard someone say _‘reflect on your choices’_ or _‘reflect on the past’_? Maybe these mirrors mean that Mishima spends a lot of time thinking back to his childhood.”

“That can’t be healthy, considerin’ what we know about him now,” Skull commented lowly, unease heavy in his voice.

“It probably did contribute to his desires distorting,” Mona agreed, ears drooping a little sadly. “All the more reason for us to fix this.”

Fox sighed at that before striding away from the mirrors toward the western wall. “Shall we start looking through the books then?”

Taking his cue, the others wandered away from the mirrors themselves, Skull joining Fox while the others scoured the southern shelves. After a few minutes of looking, the blond spoke lowly to Fox, concern bright in his eyes.

“Hey, Fox? I know what that Shadow said rattled ya, but Mishima ain’t like that. That’s somethin’ Kamoshida or Kaneshiro might’ve done, but not Mishima.”

“I appreciate that you are trying to console me, Skull,” Fox murmured tightly, pulling out another book from the shelf. “But we clearly do not know Mishima well enough to accurately predict what he will do. We did not think he would threaten people in our name, and we did not think his Shadow would be capable of kidnapping. So I apologize, but I will not relax until we get Joker back safely.”

Skull couldn’t exactly argue with those points but he did set a hand on Fox’s shoulder. “Hey, I get that. But c’mon, you can’t think Joker would let Mishima hurt him if he was like that?”

Fox paused at that, breathing a deep sigh. “Goemon pointed that out to me as well. And I know that well. At the absolute least, I doubt Arséne would let Mishima harm him.” His grip on the book he held went white knuckled as he grit his teeth. “I do not want to consider worst case scenarios, but I also cannot deny their possibility considering what that Shadow taunted us with.”

“Just…try, okay? Joker would want you to.”

A jerky nod was his response, but for once, Skull decided not to push harder. He just pat that tense shoulder firmly before going back to his own search. Not that it mattered, as Fox flipped through the book he held and made a noise of discovery.

“I may have something here.”

That got everyone to gather around him, and Fox flattened the book in his palm so they could see while he read.

“According to this, Mishima once aspired to find a way to make his father proud but that is listed as a broken dream. There is a date beside it as well. Several pages are like this, broken dreams labelled with dates.”

“Looking at this page alone, it seems like anything that mentions his father has the same date beside it,” Queen noted, sympathy edging into her voice. “I suspect…something must have happen to his fa–“

“Attention. The Teen Guidance Councilor is now available for consultation.”

“And there’s our cue,” Mona stated, already heading for the door. “Bring the book and let’s see what happens this time.”

Sure enough, a door had appeared across the hall from where the Youth Councilor’s door was, this one a dull slate door that nearly looked like metal.

“This is gonna suck, I can already tell,” Skull grumbled, pushing the door open and leading the way in.

Like the prior office, this room was shaped like a quarter circle with the curved wall entirely made of windows. These windows looked out into a dense red fog, which matched the red circle rugs scattered around the dark wood floor. The walls were a plain, off-white textured motif and lined with filing cabinets. In the center of the room was an imposing wood-topped metal desk, a single metal fold out chair before it. The Shadow occupying the room was a built man with very short-cropped black hair, standing at the windows and looking out.

“So, it seems Lord Mishima’s pets don’t know how to keep their sticky fingers away from their owner’s belongings.” The Shadow turned to face them, revealing a glower. “Really, just because you’re bored waiting for orders, doesn’t mean you need to go digging for dirt like mutts.”

“Who’re you calling a mutt?!” Both Skull and Mona demanded while Queen tried to dig for information.

“We have a couple questions actually. Why does Mishima have an entire book of broken dreams and why do many of them involve his father?”

“Figures that’s what you dug through,” the Shadow rolled his eyes, strolling around to lean against the front of the desk. “His father died in a car accident. His mother was quick to remarry since she loathed the idea of raising Lord Mishima alone. His step-father, however, found Lord Mishima worthless simply because he wasn’t blood. He shoved Lord Mishima into the most out of the way room he could and has spent years trying for a kid of his own, taking it out on Lord Mishima with every failure.”

“That’s…” Queen clearly had no words for her shock and abhorrence, not that the Shadow really gave her time to formulate a response.

The Shadow snorted with disdain. “Lord Mishima tried to do what he could to make them like him, be proud of him, but they weren’t having any of it. When he tried to change that drive into being someone his birth father could be proud of, they hammered it in that the dead have no feelings toward the living and are therefore useless. So he let go of all those ambitions.” A careless shrug followed that. “All the better for him in the end. Ambitions like that are toxic. He’s got new dreams, thanks in no small part to you guys and your leader.”

“And how do we get to where is he keeping our leader?” Fox demanded, eyes narrowed as he wasted no time dropping into a combat stance.

The Shadow raised an eyebrow at him, slowly pushing off the desk. “That’s some hostility there… Come to think of it, wasn’t there a security alert around here earlier?” Those gold eyes grew suspicious. “Pretty sure the Youth Councilor was sent to check on that. You guys met her?”

“Sent her to hell, actually,” Skull commented, hammer appearing in hand.

“In that case…” The Shadow shifted forms, becoming a Sui-Ki type as four Succubi appeared to aid him while the room distorted into a battlefield. “I’ll beat you down and drag you to your doghouses until Lord Mishima can deal with your disobedience!”

“Bring it, asshole! Hey Queen! You used a chunk of energy last battle, lemme take over!” Skull called out, Queen thinking it over a second before leaping back in agreement.

“Get rid of his supports as quickly as possible,” she called out as she went, Panther instantly reacting by pulling out her gun.

“You’ve got it! Eat this!” The scatter shot knocked all four Succubi out of the air before they could make a move, Fox instantly following that up with a Mabufula.

Much to their pleasure, the Sui-Ki was practically frostbitten and knocked down as two of the Succubi were killed in the frozen onslaught. “Excellent work, Fox! Let’s go in for a Hold Up!” Mona cheered, and the group surrounded the shadows.

“You gonna spill the beans and save yourself some pain?” Skull asked, only for the Sui-Ki to spit at him. “Well, that’s a no. All-Out Attack!”

Fox was more than happy to oblige, the wave of attacks wiping out the remaining Succubi and tearing several wounds into the Sui-Ki. Unlike the Succubus, however, the Sui-Ki climbed back up once the attack ended and lashed out at Panther with dark crimson energy that ripped through her before returning to the Sui-Ki. Several of his wounds healed while Panther now sported a few of her own.

“Shoot, Life Drain!” Mona hissed, deciding to be safe and heal the girl with Diarama. “Fox, knock it down again!”

Though Fox fired off a Bufula as asked, the Sui-Ki managed to put up a magic wall at the last second, forcing the ice user to dive out of the way of the rebounded attack. Skull, angry, dove forward alongside Captain Kidd in an Assault Dive, only for the Shadow to repel it with a laugh, Skull getting knocked flat by the blowback while his Persona dispersed from taking the brunt of it.

“It repels physical attacks and I’ll bet it repels gunfire too!” Queen called out for them, eyes watching every move made. “Panther, lower its power! Mona, try wind!”

Panther danced backward around Carmen as she cast Tarunda, trying to keep clear of anymore Life Drains that might be sent their way. Mona, in contrast, zipped forward to land a point blank Garula, aiming at its legs in hopes of ensuring a knock down. Both spells connected, but the Wind spell did little more than make it stumble, and left Mona wide open for its retaliating Bad Beat, which was recognizable since Skull used it regularly. Mona was sent careening backward, he and Zorro slamming into Skull just before he too was caught in the widespread attack. Fox was grazed, barely managing to jump clear of most of the attack, and Panther was lucky enough to dodge it completely.

“Fox, follow me up! Agilao!” Panther called out, only to stamp her foot as the spell nullified on contact with the Shadow, who used Makarakarn again and forced Fox to once more dodge his own attack. “Damn it!”

“Grr, Fox, get ready!” A simple Zio was fired off, successfully breaking yet another magic wall with Skull not bothering to dodge the repel since it barely did anything to him. “Okay, go!”

Deciding to take the risk, Fox dove forward to make it a point blank hit, firing the Bufula and taking a Debilitate head on in the process. Thankfully, the ice spell made contact, allowing for another Hold Up.

“Let’s try this again. How do we find Joker?!” Panther demanded, eyes blazing with annoyance.

“I’m not telling you jack shit!” That guaranteed another All-Out Attack, but the Sui-Ki still struggled to his feet and fired off another Life Drain, this one catching Mona.

“ _Gah!_ Why _you_ -!”

“Just heal up, Mona! We’ve still got this!” Skull insisted, firing off a Zionga only to snarl as it too was nullified. “Are you shittin’ me?!” The Shadow laughed before slamming him with a Life Drain too.

“Face it! I’m not telling you anything and you won’t bring me down! You’re done for!”

“We’ve got to give Fox more opportunities to attack with Ice!” Panther shouted as she sent a Diarama Skull’s way.

“Fox is vulnerable because of that Debilitate! Harass that thing until it wears off!” Queen ordered, Fox falling back to guard himself reluctantly.

Panther attempted to confuse it, lowering its attack power again when that failed to take hold. Mona used Garula a few times, Skull buffing his attack power and firing off Zio when the Sui-Ki raised another magic wall. The Shadow did retaliate with another Bad Beat, again catching all four fighters, but Mona was quick to fix the damage with Mediarama. By then, Fox felt the Debilitate fall away and he shot forward to rejoin the battle.

“All right, get ‘im, Fox!” Skull encouraged while buffing the ice user with Tarukaja.

“Gladly. Goemon, strike!” Fox and Goemon delivered a powered up Bufula straight to the Sui-Ki’s face and sent it crashing backward, the team immediately surrounding it for a third Hold Up.

“Last chance! Tell us what you know!” Mona warned, eyes narrowed.

“ _Ha_ …you’re wasting your time…” The Shadow huffed out. “Do I _look_ like an elite guard? All I know is your little leader’s being kept in Lord Mishima’s inner sanctuary. You want more information, you’re gonna have to fight someone higher up the food chain.”

“Grr, fine. Let’s finish this asshole off!” Skull growled.

One last All-Out Attack and the Shadow dispersed into energy, leaving behind a much heftier money pouch than the Succubus had, as well as a book. Loot collection ensued as the space distorted again, and they were all perturbed to see it form into a dark, concrete room. There was only a single window in the curved wall now, a plain western-style bed underneath it. A well-stocked desk was set against the wall with the door, a computer taking up a good chunk of space. The other wall had a door labelled bathroom, a standard washing machine set up beside that. One heavy bookshelf unit and a pair of bedside tables bracketed the bed, and roughly cut red carpet slabs were set under the bed and desk to give the dreary surroundings color.

“…This is a basement, isn’t it?” Panther asked quietly, clearly already knowing the answer.

“I’ve heard of college kids making bachelor pads in basements to save money,” Skull commented with a grimace. “But if this is a normal basement I don’t get how they could stand it.”

“This must be what the Shadow meant when he said Mishima was put in an out of the way room,” Queen sighed. “This could explain how he always looks so pale…and why Joker always spots him hanging around the city every day without fail.”

“Shall we check for more items?” Fox asked, holding on to the book the Shadow dropped. “Though I believe the Shadow has provided our next key of progression, we lack any other clues.”

“…We might as well,” Mona agreed. “Queen, could you handle that computer? Everybody else, spread out.”

It didn’t take long to search the room, collecting a few sellable items as they went before gathering by the computer desk as Queen finished up. She stood from the desk with a sad expression and a sticky note in hand.

“The computer had more diary entries, and a list of hospital visits that I’m sure match up with the information Skull found before. Most of the visits were for illness, but a fair number did cite injuries inflicted by his step-father.” Queen then held out the sticky note. “This has the next hint for the code. High school.”

“Well, that’s somethin’ at least,” Skull hung his head, glancing at Fox in question as his did. “What about the book?”

“It is titled Immediate Family. The most pertinent information it contains seems to be that he has lived with his paternal aunt and uncle since entering high school.”

“Attention. The Family Connection Councilor is now available for consultation.”

“…Well, at least we don’t have t’ look through more bookshelves,” Skull mumbled after a moment of silence, shuffling toward to door. “The map said the next room was through the library, right?”

“Right. Hopefully the door to that hidden hallway has appeared,” Mona confirmed, trying to bolster the team. “If not, I’m willing to bet that book will be just the key needed to make it appear!”

“Then let’s go!” Panther cheered, her smile a little forced but the effort was appreciated as the others managed faint smiles of their own.

Just like before, the door to the Sui-Ki’s space vanished once they were back in the hallway and the trip to the library was uninterrupted. Inside, Skull groaned when a quick examination showed that no new door had appeared.

“Seriously?”

“Calm down, Skull.” Mona rolled his eyes at the teen’s melodrama. “If I’m right, we just need to figure out where the book is supposed to go on the shelves and that will open the hidden passage. We faced something similar in Kamoshida’s Palace, remember?”

“I’d rather not,” both Panther and Skull replied lowly, Mona himself flinching as he recalled what had been found in that particular room.

“S-Sorry. But, I’m positive that’s what we need to do!”

“Before that, let’s take a minute to recover in the safe room,” Queen insisted. “You, Fox, and Panther have all used a lot of spell power, Mona. Some minor healing would do us good too.”

No one could really argue with that, though Skull waved them off. “You guys go ahead. I’ll hang out here and start lookin’ for a spot to put that book.”

“Are you sure? You took some hard hits,” Panther questioned, sighing once Skull nodded and strode off toward the southern bookcases. “Fine. Just don’t do anything stupid while we’re in here.”

“Yeah, yeah, get going, Ms. Nag,” Skull teased her, making Panther huff and stomp off to the Safe Room.

“We’ll be back in minute,” Queen sighed, leading the other two after the red-clad blonde.

Inside the Safe Room, Queen undid a couple clasps on her outfit so she could remove the Invigoration Mk. III patch she’d had as part of her equipment since the fight with Kaneshiro from her back. “I’m glad Joker invested in this energy patch, even if the price was…well, more than I’d normally condone spending on a single item.” She then held the violet patch out to Fox. “Here, Fox. My energy’s mostly recovered since I sat out the last battle. Your turn.”

Fox took the accessory with narrowed eyes, watching as Queen fixed her outfit and slipped on the Witch Amulet under her scarf. “You want me to sit out of the next battle?”

She nodded, eyes serious. “Without Joker here, we need to keep Mona on the frontline to heal, so I would prefer most of our recovery stock be dedicated to him. I also think Panther should stay in front as she’s the only one with ailment spells, which are useful for crowd control. That means you, Skull, and I will need to rotate out between battles.” The brunette hesitated a moment before sighing. “I also think you need to, pardon the pun, cool your head a little. You’ve been…much more aggressive than normal during these past two battles, and you’ve admitted it’s because Joker’s situation is throwing you off. Take the next battle to refocus yourself, that’s all I’m asking.”

The taller teen hissed out a deep breath before nodding curtly. “Very well. Goemon believes this is needed as well, so I will comply.” He then turned away from them all while he unzipped his top and pulled it down enough so he could apply the patch to his back, fixing his clothes and removing the Ignis ring from his left hand once he was finished.

Queen winced at the curt tone but just nodded at his back. Mona, however, decided to try and soothe Fox’s obvious upset. “Hey, don’t take it personally, Fox. Joker would never forgive us if we let you get needlessly hurt because we didn’t let you calm down.”

Fox glanced over at Mona, expression still disgruntled but also curious. “What makes you say that? Joker is rather forgiving to us all…”

_I doubt Arséne’s wielder would appreciate you revealing his feelings without his permission._

Zorro’s mental nudge made Mona scramble to come up with a casual answer. “U-Uh, well, he-he is the leader after all! I mean, if he was here, he-he wouldn’t let you be so reckless, s-so it stands to reason that he’d expect us to do the s-same! H-heh!”

As oblivious as Fox knew he could be, it was far too obvious that Mona was hiding something, even to him. A nudge from Goemon dissuaded him from asking, however; so he simply nodded in acceptance and pretended not to notice Mona sigh in relief.

Panther took that moment to interject, smiling just a little too widely. “So~o~o, what do we have on today’s recovery menu, Mona?”

“Snuff Souls and Life Stones.”

The immediate response made Panther whine. “Wait, are we out of coffee and curry?”

“I know we used the last of the coffee during the fight with Kaneshiro,” Queen mused.

Mona nodded. “Right, and unfortunately Joker hasn’t had a chance to make curry since before we infiltrated that pig’s palace. Besides, with that extended material-gathering trip we made to Mementos before we sent Kaneshiro’s calling card, our Snuff Soul and Life Stone stock is almost overly full. That confusion tactic Joker had us use made sure of it.”

“But Snuff Souls are bland and tasteless, and Life Stones taste like cold medicine,” Panther pouted but accepted the items passed to her.

“Nothing tastes worse than dry cat food, so I’ll live with it,” Mona asserted, getting chuckles from the other three as he downed the pair of restoratives.

Panther sighed and downed hers as well, sticking her tongue out after with a childish grimace. “So gross… Why can’t I just bring double chocolate crepes instead?”

“I think I recall you asking Joker about that in Mementos once,” Fox mused, Panther giving a gloomy whine.

“I did. He even came with me to the crepe stand afterward to look them over with that Third Eye ability of his. No good though, they’re just regular food and don’t have any healing powers.” She then huffed. “It’s sooo not fair! I mean, those fried breads, crunchy snacks, fruit and nut mixes, and even _curry_ all have awesome affects! Why can’t my favorite crepes do the same?!”

“Bad luck, maybe?” Queen offered, clearly trying not to giggle as Panther whined again. “It could have something to do with the type of food, ingredients, or simply even how it’s made. I doubt that’s something we’ll figure out anytime soon.” She then shook away her amusement to be serious again. “Anyway, let’s get back to work. Maybe Skull’s found the slot for that book.”

The four headed back into the library, coming up short as they stared at Skull in shock. He was standing in front of the left mirror, one hand extended and gently touching its surface with his mask held by his free hand limply, and his face crumpled in an odd mix of sadness and pure longing. It was such an out of character expression for the teen and yanked on their hearts, Queen immediately striding forward to firmly grasp his shoulder to get his attention. Anything to get that heart-breaking expression off his face.

“Skull! Are you okay?”

The blond nearly jumped out of his skin, immediately wiping at his face and answering shakily. “I…Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t gotta sneak up on me like that, Queen…” He then looked back at the mirror before reluctantly turning away from it with a shallow breath. “The mirrors changed… They ain’t showing little kid stuff anymore…” His voice dropped to a shaky whisper. “I’ve never seen my mom look that _proud_ before…”

Even Mona’s expression crumbled into sympathy. They all knew how much Ryuji’s mom meant to him. Before they could say anything, Skull’s mask vanished and Captain Kidd appeared, looking surprisingly solemn as he addressed them all.

“I believe we need a moment. We’ll return shortly.”

He then stooped slightly from atop his ship and wrapped his cannon arm around Skull, lifting him up easily so the teen stood on deck with him. They then glided off and into the Safe Room, Fox and Panther obligingly moving out of the way as they went. Once they were gone, the remaining four exchanged concerned looks.

“Think Skull will be okay?” Mona asked, and Panther was certain the feline had never sounded so concerned about the vulgar teen before.

“Our Personas know us best, even when we believe otherwise,” Fox murmured in reply, feeling Goemon’s intangible hands settle on his shoulders and leaning back into the feeling. “I am certain the Captain will help him feel better.”

“I agree,” Queen murmured, glancing at the mirror herself before forcefully turning away with a shaky breath. “…M-More importantly, do you think there’s a reason the mirrors changed?”

“Probably because we went poking around in a different set of information,” Mona replied, arms crossing habitually with a downcast expression. “I still think these mirrors represent Mishima obsessively reflecting on his past, and himself as a whole. That broken dreams book…dreams and aspirations can change, especially as you grow up, right? And that family book told us his living situation changed when he entered high school.” The feline hummed a moment. “So instead of unconsciously thinking back to childhood, that information makes you think of more recent years. Based on that, I’m going to guess the mirrors change what they reflect depending on what information is freshest in mind.”

“I…guess that makes sense,” Panther agreed, hesitantly glancing over toward the fear-based mirror with a shiver. “A-Anyway. Let’s find where that book goes and get out of here. Those mirrors are too distracting right now.”

“Agreed.” Fox pulled out the most recent book obligingly and the four spread out along the southern bookshelves.

Several minutes passed in mostly silence, an occasional murmur of titles or Mona leaping up to a higher shelf breaking it. Each of them also occasionally found their attention wandering back to the mirrors, but mental nudges from their Personas kept them away from the temptation, all of them saying the same thing:

_You can already guess what they will show you. You don’t need to see it._

Finally, just as Queen drew their attention to a possible spot, Skull rejoined them. The blond looked a little tired but at least his attitude seemed to have bounced back.

“Sorry ‘bout that, guys. I’m good now.”

“It’s fine, Skull. We all need a moment sometimes,” Queen assured before tapping the shelf in front of her. “I think this might be where the book goes. There’s a slight gap of space and the next titled book in the row also starts with an ‘I’.”

“That’s somethin’ I don’t get. How come so many of these books are blank? What’s the point?”

“Honestly? It’s probably because it would be unusual to have a _library_ but only a couple books,” Mona answered with a shrug. “When most hear the word library, they think of filled bookshelves and lots of them, so that will reflect in their cognition.”

“In any case, let us try this.” Fox passed the book over to Queen, and she carefully slid it in place.

The book glowed white for a second, at the same time the entire set of shelves at the end of the row –near the western wall– dematerialized into code lines, revealing the expected door. Skull, Panther, and Mona shared a cheer while Fox and Queen just looked relieved. Time to move on.

Panther, who was nearest the door, nearly skipped over and swung it open, her face scrunching up the second she did. “Uh…okay, I can’t see a thing in there.”

Everyone crowed around her, taking in the sight before them. The light from the library extended maybe three feet inside the revealed hallway. Beyond that? Pitch black.

“I can kind of see…a little,” Mona put forth, eyes squinting. “It turns to the left not too far down. And I think I see another statuette. No Shadows though.”

“In that case~! Carmen, can we get some help?”

The dancer appeared beside Panther gracefully, her thorned whips suspending her hapless suitors over her shoulders. A teasing smile was visible past the cigar in her mouth.

“Need some illumination, my dear?”

“Please!”

A sassy snap of her left hand and striking orange flames burst to life, cupped as if they were a ball rather than a mass of destructive power. The Persona then fluttered her lashes at the males, smile just a little wicked. “Shall we ladies proceed first? Or do you gentlemen want to lead?”

Skull predictably flustered and Fox was unaffected, while Mona bounced in place. “If you have no objections, Lady Carmen, I’ll go first!”

“As you wish,” Carmen chuckled, twitching her skirt out of the way so Mona could go into the hall first.

With Carmen and Panther following directly behind Mona, the other three brought up the rear, leaving the door to the library open in hopes of avoiding it dematerializing like the others. As Mona had observed, the hall did make a left turn, a stand with the Phantom Thieve logo statuette sitting in the corner and providing a pair of microfiber cleaning cloths as loot. As the group proceeded through the hall, which was dotted with more stands, they all felt a little claustrophobic and even isolated, as odd as that might seem.

“It’s weird…this seems even more gloomy than the nursery and basement somehow,” Panther commented, shifting closer to Carmen as she spoke.

“This Ruler seems to be mired in loneliness, fanged with desperate desire,” Carmen observed, her free hand settling between her wielder’s shoulders in comfort. “Such is a dangerous combination, perhaps even more so because I do not sense evil intent from this Palace.”

“Huh? What’s that mean?” Skull asked, Carmen humming in thought for a moment.

“Desperation can do strange things to people, make them do things they would normally reject considering. Or latch on to something to the point of obsession.” The Persona glanced down at Panther. “You were reading one of those picture novels the other day, yes dear? The one that you explained to me was an exploration of extreme personalities?”

Panther looked confused for a moment before clarity lit her eyes. “Oh! You mean that manga I was reading! Yeah, the main characters secretly work with the police to solve crimes that involve students. That volume had them helping to stop a girl who developed a yandere personality toward her best friend, who saved her from her brother’s abuse.”

“She became obsessed with the other girl, because she saw her as a savior, correct?” Carmen led, and grim looks took over Fox and Queen, earning them a nod from the fire Persona. “You young ones saved this Ruler from a despicable abuser, which I believe became his first obsession. His first distorted desire. Arséne’s wielder, however, was the one who gave him the most attention, the only one he could confirm beyond doubt was one of his saviors. That attention is what I believe he latched on to, and the possibility of losing that attention is what triggered the birth of this Palace.”

She then sighed a bit. “However, the Ruler is very self-aware, and knows that he has no control over the freewill of others. He cannot force permanent, positive attention by keeping Arséne’s wielder locked away. Thus, the feeling of being bereft is still heavy in the air. He does, however, have _power_ here. The power to hurt, to damage, even if that is not what he truly wants. That is what makes his loneliness and desperation dangerous. All that is needed is a trigger. He already has a target, much like that girl in the book did.”

Panther, who apparently hadn’t realized all this yet even with the past Shadows’ taunts, went pale at the implications. Fox was growling lowly, sheathed katana automatically appearing so he could grip it hard while trying to control his temper. Skull and Queen were both scowling, fists clenched. But Mona looked both sad and uneasy.

“…I hadn’t really realized something like that was possible. Distorting someone by saving them, I mean. I just thought Mishima was after fame.”

“Souls and hearts are very complicated,” Carmen assured. “And no two are completely alike. It is why we Personas maintain individuality even though we are part of each of you. We know you, and deep down you know us, but we are not exactly the same.” She returned her gaze to Panther, the hand on her back moving up to gently pat her head. “It is how I know you focused on sympathizing with the Ruler, so that your suspicions of what he could be capable of would be buried. There is nothing wrong with sympathy, but do not use it as an excuse to avert your eyes, my dear. He is not a criminal, but he _is_ a danger, to himself and those you care for.”

The blonde reached up to wipe away reflexive tears, taking a deep breath before nodding at her Persona. “R-Right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run away.”

“There is no harm done, my dear,” Carmen comforted before motioning her pseudo-torch toward the end of the hall, which made a right turn not too far ahead of them. “Now, shall we go confront the next miscreant the Ruler has employed to guard his past?”

The others, who had remained silent in respect of Panther’s moment with her Persona, nodded and continued down the hall. Round the bend and forward another twenty feet or so, and they came to another door. With Carmen’s flame, they saw it was a very strange, white padded door.

“That’s kinda weird,” Skull commented, tapping at the thick padding in curiosity. “Didn’t the announcement say this was supposed to be a family councilor?”

“It did,” Queen confirmed, reaching out and opening the door. “Let’s see what this Shadow will tell us.”

This office was much bigger than the previous two, shaped like a half circle instead, the curved wall divided in half by another of those smartphone-type doors, though this one’s border was striped red and white. It’s screen was a fuzzy white, matching the fog that could be seen through the windows flanking it and taking up the rest of the curved wall. The floor was plain oak wood, the wall holding the door composed of half wood and half of the same white padding the door was made of. Cases of books and framed awards lined the wall, the only decor present. In the very middle of the room was an entirely metal desk with three cushioned chairs before it. Standing behind that desk, arms folded primly behind its back, was a Shadow guised as an older man in a simple suit with a doctor’s coat over the top.

“The Phantom Thieves, I see. So you are the ones causing the minor security alerts.”

“Maybe we are, but we have some questions for you,” Mona started, cutting off any remarks that Skull or possibly Fox might make. “The announcement for your arrival came when we learned Mishima started living with his aunt and uncle when he started high school. Why is that key? Did it help him deal with his past a little?”

The Shadow shook its head, casually strolling around the desk. “Hardly. While it removed Lord Mishima from a familial abusive situation, it just meant he wasn’t externally suffering in a place he was meant to think of as home. His relatives had no idea how to connect with him, having never dealt with an abused child before, and one that didn’t have the aptitudes Lord Mishima’s father had. They determined that simply pretending none of it had happened and insisting he concentrate on working hard to earn excellence in high school would be the best help.”

A sardonic chuckle escaped the Shadow. “They were so determined that ignoring problems to concentrate on other things was a viable answer that they actually told him to bare with the abuse he suffered under that ape Kamoshida. Telling him it wouldn’t last forever and that having the backing of that man’s achievements once he left high school would make the suffering worth it.”

“ _That’s_ why he said all the adults knew about it,” Skull gasped out, paling even as his fists clenched. “He told Joker and me about it when we asked after the rally. He said all the teachers and parents knew ‘bout the abuse but wouldn’t do anything about it. I thought it was bullshit ‘cause I know my mom had no idea until after the news talked about it, but I just didn’t want her t’ worry. But I figured at least the girls’ team’s parents couldn’t know about it, or he woulda been shut down a lot quicker.”

“None of the girls on the team told their parents,” Panther confirmed, eyes burning with remembrance as Carmen set comforting hands on her shoulders. “Shiho told me. They were too ashamed and desperate for the letters of recommendation he kept hanging over their heads.”

“On one hand, they were correct that it wouldn’t last forever, as you ensured,” the Shadow continued with a mocking smile. “However the experience did prove to Lord Mishima that adults, especially those who were supposed to care from obligation at least, were useless in addition to untrustworthy. He’s stopped bothering to try and connect with them, and spends his days in the city, furthering his desire to make you all famous. Perhaps that’s for the best. Dead weights have a nasty habit of dragging one down after all.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s justified in kidnapping Joker and acting like he owns us,” Mona replied, fur puffing up in offense.

“Maybe, maybe not. But I believe this discussion is over. “ The Shadow smirked before shifting into its true form, a Nue-type that grinned so widely it was miracle its head didn’t split clear in half. “Lord Mishima is the only one who determines right and wrong here. And here, I am right in bringing you all sharply to heel!”

“We’ll see about that,” Queen snapped as she led Mona, Skull, and Panther forward, Fox reluctantly remaining back as she had asked before.

The Nue slammed its fists on the ground as the battlefield finished forming, summoning a pair of Onmoraki to aid him. The two wasted no time in firing off Mudo, one aimed for Mona and the other for Skull, while Queen drew her revolver and Panther was rushing forward with Carmen at her side. Both Skull and Mona dodged the Instant Kill curses, letting Queen breathe a sigh of relief before giving orders.

“I’ll handle those two, you three get the main Shadow!”

Two shots each downed the Onmoraki, Queen finishing one off with a quick punch-kick combo. She did have to dodge back as the other one struggled up and tried to land a point blank Agi, but she immediately dove right back in to smack it around before leaning back to shoot it right between the eyes.

“It is absorbing Fire, Wind, and Electric energy! Get out of there!”

Queen’s attention snapped to the others at Fox’s shout, just in time to see the Nue use Devil Smile on the other three fighters, the air around them shimmering violet for a moment. Mona just barely managed to resist, but Skull and Panther were hit, Carmen immediately vanishing as the Fear ailment took hold of Panther. Queen muttered a curse and called on Johanna, leaping on and zipping forward before blasting the Shadow with Freila. On the plus side, it hit and caused damage. On the minus side, the damage was minor and made the Nue chuckle at her.

“You’ll have to do better than that.” Before she could respond or complete an Energy Shower, it released a Mapsi spell that sent them all backward, badly damaging her, Skull, and Panther. A second Mapsi followed that one, and Queen felt her body scream in protest with yet another critical hit.

“Queen!! Mona, you…he…going to…” Queen curled in on herself as Fox’s voice swam –or maybe it was her own head swimming?–, pain giving way to fear so intense her teeth started chattering. The room was spinning and everything was becoming muddled and _she couldn’t breathe_ ––!!

Mona cursed liberally as he scrambled back up from the roll he’d thrown himself into to dodge the follow up Mapsi. The back-to-back Psychic attacks had left the Fear-addled Skull and Panther on the brink of knock out, and while Queen had been critically hit twice, she would have been fine if the Nue hadn’t followed up with another Devil Smile. Gritting his fangs, Mona decided to take a risk. Healing the party would not cure the Fear ailment, and Mona only had Relax Gels to cure the ailment one at a time. He needed Queen back up, but if he took the time to heal –which the Nue would likely follow with another attack– there was no telling if Mona could follow that up with anything useful before being knocked down himself or one of the others taking another critical hit.

So, he prayed for luck and called on Zorro, rushing forward to attempt a Lucky Punch. Miracle of miracles, it connected, barely doing damage but sending the Nue rolling backward in a daze. “Yes! Okay, Zorro! Mediarama!”

Snapping the party wide heal off, Mona rolled toward Queen, and he could feel how the air trembled as the Nue recovered and tried another Devil Smile. Thankfully, not looking at the Shadow during that particular move made it ineffective. Clapping the Relax Gel between his paws, Mona pressed them to Queen’s temples, the substance automatically absorbing into her skin and her eyes flashing back to clarity.

“Queen, get an Energy Shower off before Skull and Panther run away!” Mona then turned and physically blocked another burst of Mapsi from hitting them both.

She acted immediately, Johanna revving loudly at her call as she cast the spell. Skull’s and Panther’s eyes cleared and they scrambled back as the Nue took a swing at them with its fists. “Regroup!” The brunette snapped out, and the four completely backpedaled from the Nue, dodging another Mapsi as they went. “I hate to do this but, Panther! Try to put it to sleep!”

“Got it! Carmen, Dormina!”

Thankfully, the ailment took affect, something uncommon for these guardian-like Shadows, but right now they needed a second to think.

“Okay, so that sucked,” Skull complained, rubbing his chest in phantom pain from the Mapsi blows as Fox inquired after their health. “We’re fine, man!”

“No time to complain! I’ll blast it with Nuclear power again. Skull, you and Mona will rush it with physical attacks,” Queen ordered before nodding at Panther. “Lower its strength and then stay back in case we have to put it to sleep again.”

“Got it! Tarunda!” Panther acted immediately, Queen taking her cue to ride in with Johanna and slam a Freila in the slumbering Nue’s face.

She got out of the way straight after, dodging a retaliating swipe from the Nue as she went, while Mona and Skull closed in like a pair of pincers. Skull hit first with his Assault Dive –Captain Kidd cackling viciously as it connected– while Mona landed a Lucky Punch that successfully knocked it down. An immediate Hold Up ensued, but the Nue just laughed.

“Having a hard time? Heh heh heh!”

“Can it!” Skull growled. “Unless you’ve got somethin’ useful to say, we’re just gonna kick your ass and move on!”

The Nue just laughed some more, and Mona led the All-Out Attack with a hiss. “Then it’s too late for apologies!”

Considering the minimal damage they had done so far, it was almost surprising just how effective the wild attack was. When they backed off, the Nue crumpled slightly, panting even as it still chuckled.

“Not bad… _ha_ …But I’ve got… _huff_ …one more lesson… _heh_ …to teach you…”

Mapsi was launched again, Queen getting grazed in the legs while the others managed to dodge. This was followed up by another Devil Smile, which unfortunately caught Mona and Skull this time. “Shoot…Panther! Put it to sleep again!”

“Oh I think NOOOOOOOT!” The Nue let out a hideous wail as it spoke, and the sound raked at them all like knives. Queen, Panther, and Fox all covered their ears with winces, but Mona and Skull fainted outright, making Queen curse.

“Shit…! Panther, go revive Mona and Skull, I’ll distract this bastard!”

“Queen, let me–“

“Only if Panther goes down too!” Queen cut Fox off, making him growl as he watched her and Johanna use Flash Bomb.

He knew why they only ever had four people active at any time: to keep someone fresh for either switch in or future battles, and to make sure someone could use a Goho-M if things became too dire. Clearly Queen had forgotten in the heat of battle that they didn’t have their infiltration tools at the moment. Still, he forced himself to stay put, watching Panther sharply incase she fell, which he doubted would happen.

On one hand, she was successful in reviving Mona and Skull –by using a couple Revival Beads the feline kept in his belt–, which was good; but he was still stuck on the sidelines, which was rankling him. He resolved to speak to Queen to ensure he was back on the frontline for the next battle; he was discovering he _could not stand_ being on the sidelines when Joker always had him in the main party.

Mona, once he had gotten back to his feet, quickly rushed to Queen’s aid with another Lucky Punch. Much to his glee it again knocked the Nue over, just in time for Panther to drag Skull over, allowing for another Hold Up.

“Okay, so we can guess the next attack will end you,” Mona sniped, ready for this fight to be done. “Any last words?”

“Just… _ha_ …you’re all surprisingly cruel… _puff_ … Wanting to take… _ha_ …Lord Mishima’s happiness from him…”

Skull, Panther and Queen all faltered at that, but Mona stood firm. “What he has isn’t happiness, it’s obsession. He’s gonna have to let it go if we wants a chance at finding real happiness!”

“Heh _heh_ …good luck with that… _huff_ …See if you’re… _ha_ …still confident…after meeting the… _puff_ …Warden and Reaper…”

“Oh? And who are they?” Queen questioned, scowling at the still grinning Shadow.

“They…guard the next wing… _huff_ … Word of advice brats… _ha_ …The Warden won’t let herself… _puff_ …be caught… _ha_ … And the Reaper can’t be beat… _huff_ … Take that how you will…”

“Fine then. If that’s all, let’s do this!” Mona launched the All-Out Attack, and the Shadow dispersed at last, the battlefield immediately distorting again as a money pouch, a black metal briefcase, and a clipboard fell to the ground.

…-… **Omake: Hidden Room** …-…

Joker struggled to open his eyes, not understanding why he felt so lethargic and weak. He took in how Arséne was holding him much more protectively than when they fell asleep, a wing covering him far more like a shield than a blanket. The teen attempted to shift to look around, worried as not only could he not get his body to respond properly, but Arséne barely reacted all from his deep slumber.

“I know you’re awake in there.”

The voice, oddly enough, sounded like his own but he knew he hadn’t spoken. He could barely even move his jaw with how drained he felt. But he could still hear at least, heard the light taps of shoes on wood coming closer to his side of the bed.

“You won’t be awake long. The Shadows tell me that Treasures are meant to be dormant when the Ruler feels they’re safe. Our Ruler was a little upset to hear that, but, that’s why I’m here after all.”

Joker felt so uneasy at the words, even as his mind began swimming as he tried to fight off the pull to sleep again.

“I’ll keep him company… I’ll be what you can’t be, refuse to be for him… The Shadows say that’s typical for a being like me, but I don’t mind.”

Blackness was edging his vision, and it managed to force a tiny, distressed whine from him. He could hear the person tap on the nearby bars lightly, idly before they spoke one more time.

“But I’m not a malicious being, I can’t be considering the circumstances. So I’ll give you some comfort before you sleep again. Your team is in the Palace.”

That made Joker’s heart skip a beat and he tried desperately to stay awake even a little longer.

“They’ve even successfully breached the very first wing of the Palace, beaten the three guardians. I haven’t told our Ruler about that, you know. After all, I don’t want to give him an excuse to hurt them. How can I?”

As Joker finally succumbed the last thing he heard absolutely chilled his heart.

“I’m supposed to be you, after all. You keep secrets but also care. You save, but you also hurt. Don’t worry, I’ll be just like you. And soon, I’m sure even your team won’t know the difference.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bows low* I am so so soooo sorry for how crappy the fight scenes are! I'd rewritten them at least four times before I finally decided I couldn't do anything more with them. Any suggestions for how to clean them up and make them flow better, I would greatly appreciate!!


	4. Attributes and a Note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, firstly, let me apologize. I never intended to go so long without updating. But life kind of got in the way, and then, when I got back to it, my muse decided to be a fickle, titanium-reinforced roadblock.
> 
> The primary problems I'm encountering right now –aside from, you know, game mechanics and fight scenes–, are my transitions between major events. I literally have several of my story's main events completely written out –and needing revision–, but the scenes in between those events are...well, stumping me. It's like having points A, D, and F, but I'm missing the points that need to be in between them to make sense.
> 
> I've spent the last two weeks trying to force my brain to cooperate, but that's just made me frustrated. So, I've decided on a compromise. What I'm posting here, which I will do every time a major area of the Palace is completed, is posting the major attributes of the enemies encountered in the completed area. I'm also presenting the Thieves' (minus Jokers) movesets for everyone's reference. I actually meant to provide that sooner but it slipped my mind.
> 
> Next, following this post, I will posting the first part of Chapter 4. It will be an incomplete chapter, only about a third of what it will be wholly comprised of once I get my muse back on track. I'll update that chapter with the complete one, once I'm able to finish it of course. This is so I can at least give you guys a peak at what's coming instead of leaving you hanging.
> 
> Finally, to give my frustration time to simmer down, I'll be concentrating on other fics. For those interested, I have a few Pokemon fics under my Pseudo Name AniyuandAnayi you might enjoy, though the writing style is a bit different.
> 
> With that out of the way, here are the attributes~!

Phantom Thieves Movesets

**Mona and Zorro:**

  
_Mediarama_ \- medium heal, party-wide  
_Recarm_ \- single-person revive, 50% HP  
_Lucky Punch_ \- minuscule Physical damage, single-target, high critical rate  
_Me Patra_ \- cure dizzy/forget/sleep/hunger, party-wide  
_Diarama_ \- medium heal, single-person  
_Garula_ \- medium Wind damage, single-target, strengthened by Burn status  
_Magaru_ \- light Wind damage, all targets, strengthened by Burn status  
_Media_ \- slight heal, party-wide

**Panther and Carmen:**

  
_Maragion_ \- medium Fire damage, all targets, rare Burn infliction  
_Agilao_ \- medium Fire damage, single-target, rare Burn infliction  
_Dekaja_ \- negate enemy buffs  
_Tarunda_ \- ATK debuff, single-target, 3 turns  
_Diarama_ \- medium heal, single-person  
_Dia_ \- slight heal, single-person  
_Tentarafoo_ \- medium Confuse chance, all targets  
_Dormina_ \- high Sleep chance, single-target

**Skull and Captain Kidd:**

  
_Swift Strike_ \- light Physical damage 3-4 times, all targets  
_Zionga_ \- medium Electric damage, single-target, rare Shock chance  
_Assault Dive_ \- heavy Physical damage, single-target  
_Bad Beat_ \- medium Physical damage, all targets, low Despair chance  
_Mazio_ \- light Electric damage, all targets, rare Shock chance  
_Adverse Resolve_ \- Critical Rate increased when ambushed  
_Tarukaja_ \- ATK buff, single-person, 3 turns  
_Zio_ \- light Electric damage, single-target, rare Shock chance

**Fox and Goemon:**

  
_Sukukaja_ \- AGL buff, single-person, 3 turns  
_Mind Slice_ \- medium Physical damage, all targets, low Confuse chance  
_Rising Slash_ \- heavy Physical damage, single-target, strengthened by Baton Pass  
_Counter_ \- 10% chance Physical damage reflection  
_Bufula_ \- medium Ice damage, single-target, rare Freeze chance  
_Mabufula_ \- medium Ice damage, all targets, rare Freeze chance  
_Speed Master_ \- automatic Sukukaja on Fox from start of battle  
_Tempest Slash_ \- minuscule Physical damage 3-5 times, single-target

**Queen and Johanna:**

  
_Diarama_ \- medium heal, single-person  
_Mafreila_ \- medium Nuclear damage, all targets, strengthened by Burn/Freeze/Shock status  
_Freila_ \- medium Nuclear damage, single-target, strengthened by Burn/Freeze/Shock status  
_Flash Bomb_ \- medium Physical damage, all targets, low Dizzy chance  
_Rakukaja_ \- DEF buff, single-person, 3 turns  
_Dekunda_ \- negate party debuffs  
_Energy Shower_ \- cure Confuse/Fear/Despair/Rage/Brainwash, party-wide  
_Defense Master_ \- automatic Rakukaja on Queen from start of battle

 

Councilor’s Hall Enemies

  
**Mini-Boss** **Youth Councilor (Succubus):**

Weak (Gun), Resist (Physical, Nuclear, Wind), Null (Curse, Bless), Absorb (Fire, Electric)  
Moveset - Hysterical Slap, Counterstrike, Diarama, Memory Blow, Psio, Mapsi

  
_Minions (Black Ooze x6):_

Weak (Electric, Psychic, Bless), Resist (Physical, Gun, Ice), Null (Curse)  
Moveset - Stagnant Air, Ambient Aid, Evil Touch, Matarunda

**Mini-Boss Teen Councilor (Sui-Ki):**

Weak (Ice), Resist (Wind), Repel (Physical, Gun), Null (All Others)  
Moveset - Debilitate, Makarakarn, Firm Stance, Life Drain, Bad Beat

  
_Minions (Succubus x4):_

Weak (Gun, Bless), Resist (Fire), Null (Curse)  
Moveset - Marin Karin, Dekaja, Brainwash Boost

**Mini-Boss Family Councilor (Nue):**

Resist (Nuclear, Physical), Absorb (Fire, Ice, Electric, Wind), Null (All Others)  
Moveset - Ambient aid, Ailment Boost, Makajamaon, Devil Smile, Ghastly Wail, Mapsi

  
_Minions (Onmoraki x2):_

Weak (Gun, Bless), Resist (Fire), Null (Curse)  
Moveset - Mudo, Agi, Pulinpa, Confuse Boost


	5. Waning Phase: Gibbous Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Thoughts are Italicized
> 
> -A reminder: As I stated in the note prior to this chapter, THIS IS AN INCOMPLETE CHAPTER. I will remove this note when I update with the full version of the chapter.
> 
> -I do not own Portal/Portal 2, since I do reference it this chapter.

This time, the room changed into something a little strange. The white padding now encompassed the walls and floor, the desk and chairs replaced by a simple futon. The phone-door was now flanked by two, very small windows, covered by glass and bars. The phone itself now bore the logo on blue static screen the original door had back at the entrance.

“What…is this place?” Panther asked, confused. “I was kind of expecting another bedroom since that’s what the last two offices turned into.”

It was Fox who answered her, expression grim. “It’s a type of mental health ward. These can be found in a few places: hospitals, asylums…prisons…”

That had Mona, Skull, and Panther looking at him in shock, Mona asking, “Have you seen one of these rooms before?”

Fox nodded, eyes closing. “Madarame was transferred to one of these rooms once he was jailed. Partly for his safety, as apparently inmates are rather unforgiving to each other, and partly for his mental stability, as his guilt has been particularly intense.”

“Fox…” Panther looked like she would cry. “I’m so sorry…”

“It is…all right. Joker was with me when I was informed, and we talked about it.” Fox breathed a heavy sigh. “It is kinder than forcing him among the more violent criminals that may inhabit prison, and he is alive to regret his actions. That is enough for me. More importantly, why did a room in Mishima’s Palace turn into one?”

“Maybe that clipboard can tell us,” Skull suggested, scooping it and the money pouch up himself before handing the board to Queen, then squatting back down to look over the metal case.

Queen read quickly, flipping pages as her expression became upset. After a few minutes, she huffed. “According to this, Mishima overheard his aunt and uncle debating whether admitting him to professional care would be best for him, right after Kamoshida’s arrest was announced.”

“So instead of actually talkin’ to him, they just want to shove the problems on someone else,” Skull griped. “Mishima’s family sucks.”

“His aunt is the one against it,” Queen continued, ignoring Skull’s grumbling. “She thinks that now that the abuse is over, Mishima just needs to recover on his own time and terms.”

“That’s…sort of good,” Panther tentatively offered. “I mean, not talking to him isn’t good. But at least she doesn’t want to give him any other problems that could make things worse.”

“I agree. Honestly, I think he should speak with a therapist, but he doesn’t deserve to be locked away in a mental hospital,” Queen replied, flipping another page as she went and removing it from the clipboard. “Hm, another code hint. _‘Kamoshida hired.’_ I don’t see any other pertinent information though.”

“Then, let’s open the case,” Mona insisted with a bounce, curiosity making his eyes glitter.

Skull flipped the latches on the side of the case before laying it flat. Opening it up, jaws dropped at the contents.

“Holy…that’s a bunch of infiltration tools!”

“No wait, these aren’t just a random collection,” Mona realized. “These are _Joker’s_ tools! Exact same number of lock picks, Goho-M’s, Vanish Balls, and Smokescreens!”

“Dude, we can go back and open those chests now! OW!” Skull rubbed the back of his head and glared at Panther. “What was that for?!”

“That’s not as important, Skull! Think about it! If this Shadow had our infiltration tools, Joker might’ve been completely disarmed! Everything we’ve gathered since becoming Phantom Thieves, except what Mona’s carrying, is probably scattered throughout this place! And worse, Joker could be locked up without a weapon to protect himself!”

“Er, just a reminder, but crafting materials and money do get left in the Real World. Arséne would’ve been carrying our excess armor and accessories, not Joker. So, really all that’s missing now are our battle items and skill cards,” Mona mentioned in an attempt to calm Panther, which was only mildly effective. “But to the main point, it _is_ concerning if Joker was disarmed. Granted, he should still be able to call on Arséne, and therefore his other masks. But…how would Mishima have gotten these off of him in the first place?”

“This is why I have been so concerned,” Fox bit out, growling lowly. “If Joker was knocked unconscious as we were, there is no telling what could have been done to him.”

“Calm down, Fox,” Queen insisted, glaring as he directed a sharp gaze at her. “We’re all worried but losing our cool isn’t going to help.”

Fox visibly fought down the urge to snap back at her, resorting to once more freezing his rage and tucking it away. Once that was done, Goemon’s presence buffering him supportingly, Fox stated coolly, “I am well aware of that, Queen. However, sitting out of that last battle has only put me more on edge, as has the confirmation that Joker was likely disarmed. If I am to have any chance of keeping my anger in check, I will need to be able to vent it. That being said, I will be staying on the frontlines until we get Joker back–“

“If anything, you should stay off the battlefield if you can’t keep calm,” Queen retorted, ignoring Mona and Skull who both tried to interrupt her. “I can’t trust you not to do anything reckless if you’re having that much trouble staying calm.”

“Reckless?” Fox growled lowly, Goemon sharing his offense if the way the air grew cold around him was any indication. “If we are discussing recklessness, let us discuss that last battle. Right at the beginning when we learned the Shadow absorbed Fire, Wind, and Electricity, while your Nuclear powers made negligible damage. I should have been called in at that point, if only so we could see if it was weak to Ice or not. The only reason I did not take matters into my own hands is that Mona was quick to salvage the situation, not you.”

Queen opened her mouth to argue, but Fox continued over her. “And when Mona and Skull were knocked out? You ordered me to stay out of it, yet you were injured and Panther had to leave herself defenseless to carry out your instructions to revive the others. What if Mona had not had any Revival Beads in his belt? How, exactly, would Panther have been able to revive them?”

“I-I–“ Queen’s defiant expression cracked at that. She couldn’t argue against that, and she knew it. Still, it rankled her that Fox was challenging her. Wasn’t she the team advisor now? Wasn’t it her responsibility to lead since Joker was absent? Gathering her defiance again, she snapped back at him. “Well then, why didn’t you join in the fight?! Like you said, we encountered trouble twice in which an extra weapon would’ve been useful!”

“Because unlike you, I know what Mona, Skull, and Panther are and are not capable of,” Fox replied harshly. “You have barely been in battle with us for the equivalent of a week, all of that within Kaneshiro’s Palace, where Joker kept us in a set rotation. He offered to delay infiltration days for training, so you could have a chance to learn more about your powers and our abilities as a team. You refused, insistent that charging ahead as quickly as possible was the best way to deal with that pig. Does that not sound reckless to you?!”

Queen was silent, fists clenched.

“You do not know our habits and quirks. Mona is our senior combatant, and as he reminded us, he carries our recovery stock. So while he had not remade his Harisen Fan yet, I knew he could salvage the situation. When you snapped your orders at Panther and I, I did not recklessly interfere because I knew Mona kept a small selection of items in his belt, including Revival Beads. Panther was also far more likely to dodge incoming attacks than you were, and I had faith she would at least get Mona back on his feet,” Fox summed up, crossing his arms as his glare turned cold. “You clearly have been trying to lead in Joker’s place, but you do not know us well enough to do so yet. _That_ is a more serious risk than my currently short temper.”

Mona jumped in at this point, literally jumping between them though they made no moves toward each other. “Okay, okay, let’s all calm down a second! Fox, while you’re not wrong, the fact is I should have distributed some of our healing items around back when I first brought it up. That was a mistake on my part, not Queen’s.”

Fox gave a tight nod in response, gaze not leaving Queen’s expression, which had started to relax with Mona’s words. That changed to her dropping her gaze to the floor as Mona turned to her. “But like I said, Fox isn’t really wrong, Queen. Your orders during that last fight were reckless. We know you’re a good analyst and you’re a strong fighter, but right now you don’t know us well enough to step into Joker’s shoes.”

“And we don’t expect you to,” Panther chimed in, stepping over to Queen’s side to place a hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to take time for you to get to know us. It’s just bad luck that we ended up in this kind of situation before we had that time. We’re still relying on you, Ma–Queen, but don’t feel like you need to take Joker’s place, okay?”

_She is correct, my young chevalier. You no longer need to prove yourself useful. You need to prove yourself able to be part of a team._ Queen nodded, in answer to both Panther and Johanna, relaxing as she felt the phantom vibrations of a purring engine spreading from her soul.

Taking a breath, Queen bowed apologetically to Fox. “I’m sorry. You’re right, Fox, I was being reckless. And…I have no right to trivialize your concern by saying we’re all worried. I had already asked you to sit out of the battle to refocus yourself, which you did, so I have no right to deny your desire to stay on the frontline if you’ve found it less than helpful.”

Though still a little offended, the apology was enough to soothe Fox’s potent rage, letting him melt the ice surrounding the feeling so it could ebb away on its own. He took a deep breath of his own before tilting his head in acceptance. “I appreciate the apology, Queen. I also apologize for my temper, though not my words.” Fox rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen their tension. “The more we learn, the more the situation tests my control, far more than I had thought possible. I reiterate, I need to be able to vent my temper for my control, so I will stay on the frontlines for now.”

“I understand.”

“Great! So can we figure out what we’re doin’ next?” Skull interjected, rotating his shoulders with a wince. “And do some healin’ too.”

“Wait, will the door disappear again if we leave to go back to the safe room?” Panther asked, glancing at said door back toward the library.

Queen, having straightened back up, tilted her head, listening to Johanna. “Johanna doubts that, but she also thinks it’s better to be safe than sorry. She recommends performing our healing here and then sending two people back for the chests.”

“And since the room will still be occupied, the door should stay,” Mona finished for her, bouncing in place as Queen nodded. “Right, I’ll heal us up and give you guys some of our recovery stock. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice after all.”

A Mediarama, plus a simple Media, later and the party was in much better shape. While Mona downed another Snuff Soul before divvying up the recovery stock, Queen put forth a suggestion.

“Panther and Carmen can light the way down the hall, and Mona is much better at lock picking than the rest of us. I recommend they go for the chests.”

There were no objections to that, so Panther called on Carmen again and Mona once more led the way through the darkened passage, leaving Fox, Skull, and Queen to loiter around the door forward.

…-…-…-…-…

Queen spent the time waiting off to the side in conversation with Johanna, having summoned the motorcycle-Persona and curled up on the seat in semi-comfort. Skull and Fox shared quiet conversation while dividing up the infiltration tools remaining, as Mona had taken the lock picks. Queen observed the pair as she talked with Johanna, noting how even with how different the pair was, they shared a camaraderie she hadn’t really noticed while traversing Kaneshiro’s Palace. They had just always seemed at odds with each other, the vulgar ex-athlete and the cultured artist. But now that she was just laying there and watching, she took notice of how the pair moved in easy tandem, passing tools between each other without pause and instinctively avoiding intruding too much into each other’s space.

“You believe them an odd pair, do you not?”

“Mmhm. They just don’t fit together, but they clearly work well enough together to know each other’s boundaries,” Queen replied quietly to Johanna’s soft observation. “It…makes it clear just how right Fox was about me. I don’t know them well at all. I just assumed they barely tolerated each other, when we were going through that pig’s palace, because they’re just so…different.”

“Oh I do not doubt that is still true at times, if the way the Captain and Goemon talk about them is any indication,” Johanna hummed out, clearly amused. “But it is as Carmen’s little dancer said, they have had time and more battles to get to know each other. They all have. You will learn as you continue on this journey with them, have faith.”

Queen hummed her own agreement before asking, “You all talk to each other? I mean, you and the other Personas…”

“Of course. Just as you can feel me, even when I am not fully tangible, we can perceive and speak to each other, if we allow ourselves to. Carmen and the Captain are quite chatty, if only because they love trying to one-up each other on whose wielder achieves more on a given day,” Johanna explained. “Arséne enjoys discussing his dear protege’s growth and feelings, mostly with Goemon. Zorro and Goemon often compete on who can tell the best, elaborate poems and stories. I primarily listen to them all, but I do enjoy the occasional discourse with each of them.”

“I see… I’m sorry, it just feels a little strange to think you all can talk to each other without any of us able to hear you.”

“I am not offended. You are still new to the nuances of being a Persona wielder, it is to be expected that some things will be strange. Just remember that you are not alone in this. Not anymore.”

“Right.” Queen was quiet for a long moment, still watching the boys talking before she slightly changed the topic. “Does…Do the other Personas ever talk about…how the others, my teammates, feel about each other? I don’t mean to pry, but I can’t help but wonder a few things…”

Johanna purred out a chuckle, the vibration relaxing Queen a little more. “Certainly. That is a favored pastime amongst us all. You need not worry. They all respect you and they do want to get to know you better as a person. Do not let Goemon’s young warrior give you the wrong impression. He respects your analytical ability and your strength.”

“…I just feel like he’s reacting a little too strongly to Joker’s kidnapping,” Queen muttered, earning another laugh.

“Of course he is. Love does both wondrous and frightening things to people after all.”

That had Queen’s jaw dropping. “L-Love? He loves Joker?”

“Well, Goemon says his warrior believes he is merely smitten, but we Personae often know your hearts before you do. I am Thou, Thou art I, after all. Arséne’s protege is much less in denial of his own feelings, but is merely afraid to see if they are requited or not.” Johanna’s tone turned utterly mischievous. “I am looking forward to when you find a young woman or young man that captures your attentions, my young chevalier.”

“Johanna!” Queen choked out, blushing brightly, especially when she realized the boys were looking their way in curiosity. Johanna simply laughed, allowing the flustered girl to dismiss her from tangibility as she hopped off, right as Mona and Panther returned from their excursion.

While everyone looked at her in question, Queen shook her head in a silent plea not to ask.

…-…-…-…-…

Deciding to honor Queen’s unspoken request not to ask why she was blushing, Mona reported their success. “The chests had some gems, Snuff Souls, and a couple pieces of dirty equipment.”

“Not bad,” Skull approved before passing Mona some of the tools. “Here, we divided up the rest of the tools.”

While Mona put away his share, Panther gestured to the door. “So, should we get moving? We’ve still got the Punishment Ward to get through, not to mention the three other levels that first Shadow mentioned.”

Everyone shared nods of agreement and Panther stepped forward to swipe the screen. It dematerialized and she was barely able to take in the sight of entrance hub –and the fact that they were _above_ the hub with no visible path– before Skull began to leap past her.

“Hoo yeah!”

“Skull, there’s no–“ White code lines burst forward from the base of the door, turning into a white, hard light path under Skull’s boots that led to another phone door clear on the other side of the hub. “–path…” Taking a deep breath, Panther stepped out on to the path and reached over to punch Skull in the arm.

“Ow!”

“You’re lucky a path appeared! That’s at least a two story drop we’re standing over!”

Skull grumbled about how he figured a path would show up while the pair shuffled further along so the others could join them on the hard light path. Fox couldn’t help tapping his boots against the hard light, both fascinated and disconcerted by how there was no sound but solid pressure against his boots.

“How strange. I was under the impression that solid light was not actually possible outside of science fiction.”

“Just about anything’s possible in the Metaverse,” Mona reminded, looking around in interest. “Though I don’t think I’ve heard of solid light before…”

“It’s really popular in sci-fi stuff, like Fox said,” Skull explained, grinning. “Stuff like light swords and hard light paths are pretty common in sci-fi games. I’ve played this one game that has this kind of thing, plus portal guns, launch pads, and singin’ turrets. It’s fun, but it takes forever t’ work out the puzzles.” His brow then furrowed. “Actually that stupid door’s voice kinda reminds me of the big villain in that game. All condescendin’ and crap.”

“Maybe Mishima-kun’s played that game too?” Panther suggested, getting a shrug from Skull.

“Maybe. Wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Regardless, let’s focus and get moving. I don’t want to find out if this path can disappear on us.” Everyone nodded at Mona’s comment and walked, single file, over to the phone-door across the way.

It was mostly identical to the door they just came through, with its red-and-white striped border, but it showed a numerical passcode screen. Queen took that moment to pull out the clues they had collected from the three Shadows.

“Okay, this has to be what these clues are for. We have _‘first day’_ , _‘high school’_ , and _‘Kamoshida hired’_. It seems straight-forward to me, but what do you all think?”

“Seems to me it means the first day Kamoshida started working at Shujin,” Mona mused.

“But, does it mean the first day he started as the P.E. coach or as the Sports Director or as just the volleyball coach?” Panther asked, biting at her lower lip. “Volleyball tryouts and meetings start later in the first month of a new term than the actual first day of class. And I don’t think he was made director until after he took the volleyball team to nationals.”

“That’s true…” Everyone pondered for a few moments before Skull huffed.

“Nah, I think we’re over-thinkin’ this. Mishima was picked on by Kamoshida since that first P.E. class, right? So he’d probably pick that since that’s when that bastard started his abuse.”

“So, the first day of class last year should be the code,” Queen concluded before gesturing at Skull. “Try putting in zero-four-zero-seven-one-five.”

Skull did as instructed while bracing himself incase the door once again took offense to his touching it. Thankfully there was no energy pulse and the screen blinked blue and white before dematerializing, the voice from the previous door piping up again.

“Access granted. Now entering the Punishment Ward. If this is not the destination you were searching for, please return to the Councilor’s Hall and wait for a Forum Escort to be sent to the library. If this is the destination you were seeking, the Phantom Aficionado website claims no responsibility for any trauma or dismemberment that may occur within.”

Everyone couldn’t help but gape at the greeting, Skull slapping a hand to his forehead. “Exactly like that condescendin’ A.I. from that game.”

“Let’s…just keep moving,” Mona pressed, and Skull obligingly led the way into the room beyond. The door dematerialized behind them just as the one leading into the Councilor’s Hall had once everyone was inside, leaving them to examine their surroundings.

Said surroundings had Skull, Panther, and Mona looking around in familiar apprehension. It was a cell, dark slate-colored stone walls dripping with moisture and a large, barred door shut across from them. The primary differences were that the floor was made of dark blue tile and the door was a sliding one, like what could be found in a more modern prison. The view beyond showed a wide walkway made of mixed stone and blue tile, a gap where the sound of running water could be clearly heard, and thick white mist rising from said water. The mist obscured the view of another walkway that had what looked like three square columns along its edge.

“Sonuvva–Did Kamoshida’s Palace reform or somethin’?! This looks way too much like that bastard’s prison cells!” Skull’s slightly hysterical anger was perfectly justified, considering what his and Joker’s first foray into the Metaverse was like.

“That…That wouldn’t make any sense since we’re in Mishima’s Palace!” Mona insisted, though his tail was puffed up with anxiety. He remembered his own imprisonment well, after all. “It has to be a coincidence!”

“Kamoshida did tell the whole school he saw it as a castle,” Panther reminded them, shaking ever so slightly as anger and anxiety warred inside her. It was enough that Carmen summoned herself and wrapped her arms around Panther’s shoulders from behind as a comfort.

“Steady, my dear. I agree with Zorro’s wielder. It is a coincidence that this place resembles the lust demon’s dungeon,” Carmen soothed, her words making them all relax a little bit. “I do advise caution in your explorations however. We received two warnings about a Warden and a Reaper in the prior wing, and I sense something…menacing within this wing.”

“R-Right. Thank you, Carmen.” The fire-based Persona returned to mask form after one more good squeeze to Panther’s shoulders, the blonde clearing her throat with a weak smile. “Well, no point standing around, I guess…”

Agreeing, Fox strode forward to the door and tested it, a little surprised when it slid open easily. “Hm, not locked. I suppose this is more a deterrent than an actual obstacle.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel better,” Panther murmured, but followed behind the artist as he led the way out.

Their path was pretty obvious. To their right was a neat stack of both wooden and metal crates –the Phantom Thieves logo printed on the sides of the metal ones– with a couple statuettes sitting at about chest level. To the left was a short path, around twenty-five feet or so, but there was a visible jut near the end on the right, leading to a clear section on the walkway across the small waterway. A dividing gate and more crates blocked the area going further ahead, though the thick mist prevented them from seeing if there was more dungeon or just open water.

Skull was quick to investigate the statuettes, coming away with a good quality phone case for his effort, before the group began walking. They quickly came to a stop, however, as they came across a pair of tiny cells to their left, one of which was occupied. The cells themselves were maybe two-by-four feet with the same make as the room they had just left; however the bars were made of black metal, and there were spikes of black metal poking periodically from the walls. The one cell that was occupied, the furthest one, held a male in they would guess his mid-twenties, dressed in an off-white tunic and loose cloth pants, and he was murmuring manically, eyes swiveling back and forth unseeingly until Queen tried to talk to him.

“Um, ex-excuse me? Why are you in here?”

The man jumped with a squeal of fear, making the Thieves jump in kind before they tried to settle him.

“Dude, calm down! We’re not gonna do anythin’ to ya,” Skull said, a little harsher than necessary but no one had a chance to reprimand him since the man started blabbering.

“Y-You–them–He wasn’t k-kidding–! I’m s-sorry–so sorry–!!” The man squat down in place, cowering and covering his head with his arms, and it made them feel horrible even though they hadn’t done anything to him.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you haven’t done anything to us,” Panther tried to soothe, kneeling down to his level. “Could you tell us why you’re here or who put you here?”

“P-Punishment–a disbeliever–!”

The others exchanged slightly confused looks while Panther continued trying to coax the man into calming down and talking. “What do you mean by disbeliever?”

“C-Can’t be real–! Too c-c-convenient–! Ph-Phantom Thieves–not r-real–!” The second he uttered those words there was a faint sound of rattling chains and he jumped back with a wail, only to crumple as he was jabbed by the spikes. “N-N-No–! Sorry–s-so sorry–!!”

The whole group had balked and paled when the man had jumped backward into the spikes, and it was only a cold comfort that him crumpling revealed there were no punctures or blood. But they could see multitudes of black-purple bruises through the tears in his clothing. It made them ill to see the man like this and realize why from what little he’d said.

Mona called everyone back down the walkway a little bit, his expression grim. “If I’m understanding what it was saying correctly, then this dungeon is where Mishima envisions putting everyone that doesn’t believe in us or tries to discredit us.”

“This is awful… Can’t we help that guy?” Panther asked, glancing back at the occupied cell with watery eyes. “That guy doesn’t deserve to be hurt like that just because he didn’t–doesn’t think we’re real… It’s like…Mishima-kun’s abusing him…”

Queen spoke up, her hesitance clear. “It…actually isn’t unheard of for abuse victims to become abusers themselves, a lot of times without meaning to. I don’t think it’s common, or at least the few studies I’ve seen don’t suggest that. Thankfully, this is not reality, so we can at least be sure he hasn’t actually sunk to this level.”

“Regardless, we need to make sure his heart changes so he never becomes an abuser,” Mona insisted before his ears folded back, glancing at Panther in sympathy. “And I don’t think we can help that guy, Panther. Or rather, it wouldn’t matter if we did. It’s a cognition just like Kaneshiro’s ATMs, not someone’s Shadow or a person. He’s not real beyond Mishima’s cognitive world.”

“It’s still not right… It may be a cognition, but it’s a cognition of someone who might be real. It’s not right for Mishima to think of hurting someone like that,” Panther murmured, scowling as she brushed away the beginnings of tears.

“Agreed. But the best thing we can do for him is to take Mishima’s Treasure,” Fox stated, setting a comforting hand on Panther’s shoulder. “Let us not linger.”

The group quickly followed Fox’s lead, trying not to look back at the whimpering prisoner as they jumped across the waterway to the next walkway. This one was longer than the first, though there was no path to their left, just more crates and another gate. To their right, the path was in disrepair on the right side and they could just make out what seemed like more of those tiny cells past the broken stonework, correcting their earlier assumption of there being columns along the edge of the walkway. On the left was a much larger prison door, like the one they had come through earlier, connected to what had to be a room given the stone wall extending across the next misted waterway.

Without speaking, the group traversed the path, Mona scurrying ahead to lead, only to leap backward once he reached the large cell door on the left. He crouched beside it and lowly hissed at them to stay quiet. Fox was closest and carefully leaned over Mona to peak into the room blinking in surprise of what he saw. It was built like the room they had arrived in for this wing, but half of the cell was set up like a cheap office, with a lengthy desk filled with paper cubbies, file racks, and several clipboards. The other side just held a prison bed, folded down from the wall and suspended by thick chains. Aside from a dilapidated pillow, the only thing the bed held was a tall, built male with a very square jawline and matted, curly black hair. The figure seemed to be asleep.

Mona pushed against Fox’s legs, signaling for him to move back toward the others, and the feline led them all back away from the cell, all the way to the metal crates before speaking.

“There’s a Cognitive Kamoshida in that cell, and I’m going to guess from the way it’s set up, he can probably leave the cell as he wants,” Mona hissed out, making both Panther and Skull groan.

“Seriously? I do not wanna deal with that bastard again, cognition or not,” Skull griped.

“If this one turns into that disgusting demon thing too, I’m jumping in the water.” Panther shuddered in remembrance of that fight. “Once was too many times.”

“…Was it worse than Kaneshiro?” Queen asked, making Panther turn a little green.

“Yeah. Kaneshiro was a little gross, but we spent more time dealing with the metal pig than him. Kamoshida… He turned into this huge, naked demon with multiple arms and a…huge long tongue that…dripped saliva everywhere and…” Panther couldn’t continue without practically gagging at the memories, turned to bury her face against the nearest person, which happened to be Skull.

The blond male just pat her back, grimacing as he took over for her. “The bastard was really focused on her…sexually. He could attack with the tongue and one of his hands had this wine glass with a Cognitive version of her that he kept slobberin’ over to boost his power… It was just a really gross fight.”

Queen looked torn between crying and punching something, while Fox looked suddenly pale. “Was…that why you all were so paranoid about my intentions towards A–Panther?”

“Yeah. Sorry man, it’s just, that was a really bad time, and the fight was way too fresh for us not to freak out a bit. If it makes ya feel better, Joker figured out ya didn’t mean any harm pretty much immediately.”

While that did make Fox feel a little better, he also felt a little worse considering he had treated Joker with pure disdain simply for his association with Skull. “Still, my treatment of the three of you was deplorable in light of this information. To me, it is inexcusable.”

“We don’t hold it against you, Fox, so let it go,” Mona assured before grumbling. “More importantly, we need to make a decision. If that first Shadow is correct and we’ll need codes to get through the doors to each wing, it’s likely that office…cell…whatever, may have a clue or even a complete code.”

“So the question is, do we sneak in, lure the Cognition out and then sneak in, or leave it for now and come back if we can’t find anything?” Queen surmised, getting a nod from the feline. She then sighed, gaze downcast with her fists clenched tight. “Part of me thinks leaving it would be the better choice, but overall I just want a chance to punch him, even if it’s not the real Kamoshida.”

Skull put in the obvious suggestion. “We could just attack him. Get the drop on ‘im while he’s asleep.”

“But we should keep the warnings we received in the Councilor’s Hall in mind. There are supposedly a Warden and a Reaper here somewhere,” Fox pointed out reasonably. “If we are right and this Cognition can leave his cell freely, it would not be unreasonable to assume he is one of the two. Personally, I believe it would be a missed opportunity to not search the cell. I think Mona should slip in and search the desk for anything that looks like a clue.”

“Wait, why Mona?”

“Because with his small size, should the Cognitive Being wake up while Mona is in the cell, he will have the easiest time hiding,” Fox explained for Skull, who made a noise of understanding. “There is no where we could really hide to risk deliberately luring him out, so I think this is the safest option.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Okay, so that's about a third of what will be in this chapter once it's finished. Again, I'll remove this note when I update this with the complete chapter.


End file.
